


ReBirth Is Not Fun

by psYcho_MonkeY



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:02:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 36,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23783587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psYcho_MonkeY/pseuds/psYcho_MonkeY
Summary: When people say that reincarnation is fun, trust me it's not. With knowledge of the future and the fact that your best friend is the main character of the book; Congratulations, you have a life filled with death threats and troublesome drama in every corner.Anyways, without further adue, here's how I messed up the story of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.*Chapter 22 is up*
Comments: 23
Kudos: 148





	1. First Thing's First

I’m dead, yep I am dead.

How did I know that? Well, maybe that’s because I’m floating in the dark right now and couldn’t see, hear or smell anything. I mean, after all, the plane I was in crashed in the middle of nowhere.

Just great.

I’m dead; I still can’t believe it and I still can’t accept it. I mean come on, I’m just 23. This is so not fair! (Please forgive me that I’m having a mental breakdown!)

I swung my fist around in frustration and hit something soft. It was difficult to move since something kept resisting my movements as I felt my surroundings.

I groaned internally.

This is awesome, I’m trapped in a squishy dome filled with some kind of strange liquid. Perfect. Is this some sort of new afterlife or something?

Suddenly a huge force pushed me out and bright light attacked my eyes. I blinked rapidly and saw the blurry face of a middle-aged man. He lifted me up like Simba in The Lion King.

Wait, what?

How could he lift me up that easily? I’m pretty sure I’m still overweight.

“It’s a boy!” he exclaimed.

I froze. What the fuck?

He started moving me around and I yelled at him to put me down, but I only heard baby cries. I shut my mouth, the cries stopped.

Oh shit! No, no, _no_!

I quickly looked down at my body and let out a cry of protest. This had to be a nightmare. I am trapped in a baby’s body. Not just any baby’s body, it had to be a boy! I yelled at whoever’s up there for doing this to me, but I could only hear baby cries again. The middle-aged man handed me to a woman.

“Shh... it’s okay.” She hushed softly and put me on her chest.

I stopped yelling. One, it’s because my throat had started hurting, and two, I could hear her heart beating slowly and steadily, like my mom.

I looked up to her and saw a pair of warm brown eyes. She smiled tiredly at me and stroke my cheek.

She murmured in an echo-like voice, “Levant Bellinor Ral.”

I mentally flinched when she said my new name. Ral is my old family name. How did she…?

The woman smiled again and she began to breast-feed me. I cringed at this action before I reminded myself. This is normal. I’m just a baby, but it’s still cringe-worthy! Wait, does this mean I have to go through puberty again? And worse as a boy?

*******

**3 years old**

Finally, the three horrifying years of the baby stage was behind me and now I was stuck here with a bunch of kids around my age. My mother was working, so she put me in a day care, saying something like I need to socialize more with other kids.

To be honest, I was a bit scared when I first saw them. A group of girls were playing house wives while dragging some poor boys to their tea table, and a little girl was wailing in a high pitch because someone stole her stuffed teddy bear. And here I am, sitting in a corner with a few toys in front of me and I was already tired from watching them. How the hell do they have so much energy?

A kid with messy jet-black hair walked up to me and tilted his head adorably. His big sea-green eyes stared at me and the toys between us.

“Want to play together?” He asked me with puppy eyes.

I simply shrugged and gestured him to sit. The boy cheered loudly and grabbed a toy car. We played several games like hero and villain (I was the villain) before he started talking random stuff in rapid speed, waving his hand around.

I was fiddling with the stuffed dolphin he practically shoved in my hand when he said with a toothy grin, “I’m Percy Jackson. What’s your name?”

I froze when a memory tried to resurface but I quickly chalked it up as another coincidence. I mean Percy Jackson is a common name, right? He can’t be _THE_ Percy Jackson.

My eyes narrowed at him. His features do kinda match the description in the novel series I had back in my previous life. Black hair. _Check_. Sea-green eyes. _Check_. It began to click in my head. Not too long ago I was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, and I swore I saw a giant with one eye walking across the street last week. _Double check_.

Oh shit. I’m in his world, aren’t I? Where mythical monsters exist and the Greek gods sit in their thrones on top of the Empire State Building. And this kid in front of me is the world’s biggest magnet of trouble because of his heritage.

Percy was still grinning, so I did the most logical thing anyone would do in this situation.

I screamed like a little bitch.


	2. Risks of Befriending a Demigod

“Percy! Let me go!” I exclaimed as he pulled me to the resting area in the museum we were at with our class.

Percy ignored my cries of protest and yanked me to a nearby bench. “I’m hungry.” He simply said.

I rolled my eyes as he pushed me to the bench. Quickly he sat beside me and opened his packed lunch.

After I met Percy 4 years ago, we became best friends very fast, which is weird. I mean, I literally screamed at his face and sprouted some gibberish about doomsday, monsters and gods with some very colourful vocabulary no kid my age should ever know. The next day he followed me everywhere and didn’t quit until I gave up. He became stuck with me like glue ever since. I still don’t know why he never bothered to make friends with the other kids or the fact that he didn’t care that I’m still his only friend in his life.

We entered the same school and got expelled at the same time too. Mostly it’s Percy who got expelled and somehow I was named an _“accomplice”_. It’s also because I didn’t really want to leave him alone, and he didn’t want to go to school without me. When the books said his fatal flaw is loyalty, I never knew he’d be this clingy.

Me? Hopefully, I’m just a clear-sighted mortal with a case of ADHD and dyslexia. Don’t you dare call me a liar and that I’m in denial! You do not want to turn around and see a Drakon slithering behind you and hissing every now and then. So trust me when I say being a normal human is a blessing.

“Levant.” Percy suddenly called me, his hand gripping my left forearm.

I scowled at his grip. Not a fan of physical contact. “What?” I questioned with a hint of annoyance.

“There’s something near the school bus.”

I groaned mentally. Every time he said that, trouble comes. And I’m not talking about the normal trouble, it’s the big trouble that usually ends up with Percy getting expelled and me following him to new schools. This is just great.

“Just your imagination, Perce.” I responded as casually as possible.

But it’s hard to act like nothing is wrong when you have a black dog as large as a truck, sniffing around a bright yellow school bus… It’s very hard to miss that thing.

“It’s a dog.” He said.

I internally cursed the Fates for this and raised an eyebrow, “A dog?” 

“A big one. Like a dump truck.” He quickly added.

“Alright, did you eat your entire candy stash while I wasn’t looking again? Cause’ I swear Auntie Sally will-”

Percy pouted and pushed my cheek, forcing me to see the hound head on. My eye twitched in irritation when I saw it. Please don’t turn around. Please don’t turn – _shit_. The hell hound turned around and spotted us. It began to growl and I tried my best to pretend I didn’t see it.

“What the hell am I supposed to see?” I asked absurdly.

I glanced next to me only to find Percy was already gone. Cursing under my breath, I jumped from my seat and whipped my head around, searching for him. My eyes widened when I found Percy near the cannon, yes those cannons you see in World War Two, and it was pointing straight at the dog.

“Percy, do-”

**_BAM_ **

A cannon ball shot towards the dog, but it passed through like it was made of thin air. Instead it hit the school bus and it exploded with a huge _**bang**_. I sighed and ran my fingers through my short hair as the hound began to run the other way. Teachers and students started to gather thanks to the explosion.

“PERCY JACKSON!” one of the teachers yelled in frustration.

Then she turned to me and I suddenly wished that hell hound was still here, because right now I really want to play fetch with a dog that could rip me into shreds than facing the punishment I’ll get, even though I did absolutely nothing wrong.

“LEVANT RAL!” she bellowed at me, “BOTH OF YOU! MEET ME AT THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE AFTER THIS!”

“Way to go Perce,” I mumbled under my breath as I grudgingly followed the teacher, “Thanks a lot.”

*******

**5 years later**

“Just don’t screw anything up again.” I crossed my arms and glared at him.

Percy pouted at me, “You said it like I did it all the time.”

I whacked him on the head. “Seriously, Perce? After last year’s accident, you dare to say “You said it like I did it all the time.” A shark almost ate me!” I pointed a finger at my face, “ATE ME!”

“I didn’t know all of you wanted to swim after I released the shark!” He defended himself.

I massaged my temple, “And why did you release the shark?”

“He asked me to!” he simply answered like it made sense.

I sighed loudly. I almost forgot that he is the freaking son of Poseidon, God of the freaking sea. Stressing on ALMOST. _Of course_ he can hear fish talk.

“MR. RAL!”

I flinched when that damn algebra teacher called my name. I turned around and saw Mrs. Dodds glaring at me.

By the way she’s a Fury, one of Hades’ minions, a monster. I’m pretty sure that Hades sent her here to kill Percy since he thought that my best friend had stolen his Helm of Darkness. I don’t know whether I should laugh at how stupid the entire thing is or hit my head against the wall repeatedly.

I mean, come on, Percy doesn't even know about his heritage along with the mythical world’s existence and the gods are already trying to kill him.

“Yes?” I gave her my most innocent look.

“Sit down.” She hissed.

I quickly slipped into the seat next to Percy.

“And don’t cause any trouble!”

“I don’t like her.” Percy whispered when she turned around, “She’s evil.”

I raised at eyebrow at him, “Says the one who’s always causing trouble.”

Grover appeared and sat next to me, “H-Hey guys.”

“Yo! What’s up?” I grinned.

Obviously, I already knew he is a satyr. Honestly, he’s not even discreet about it. He ran without his crutches when they serve enchiladas during lunch for gods’ sake! And then there’s Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, AKA Chiron the Creep. Maybe it’s just me, but the way he looks at Percy and I when he thinks we’re not looking gives me goosebumps, and not the good kind.

Suddenly a peanut butter and ketchup sandwich flew and landed on Grover’s head. I scowled at an annoying ginger shrimp known as Nancy Bobofit.

“Fire in the hole!” She called as she threw another sandwich, I swiftly dodged as it landed near me.

“Watch it!” I barked.

Nancy chuckled as she walked towards me. “Oh Levant. If only you’d stay away from these losers, then maybe we can be friends, or more.” She winked.

“Enough is enough alright?” I said icily while mentally barfing out my breakfast, “And no thanks.” I glanced out of the window without a care.

I could see her eye twitched from the reflection of the glass and growled out, “You’re going to regret this, Ral.”

Another sandwich flew across the bus and I raised my arm to cover my face just in time as it hit my arm. Slowly, _disgustingly_ it fell on the floor. I could feel the sticky peanut butter and red ketchup covering my skin. I grimaced in disgust and scowled darkly. I could see Percy ready to jump out of his seat from the corner of my eye, but I held my other arm up as he stood.

“Don’t.” I pulled him back to his seat, forcing him to sit down.

He protested, “But she’s-”

“Annoying.” I cut him off while mentally saying ‘ _A bitch_.’, “I know, but you’re in probation and you do not want to start a fight.”

This is getting more and more scary, how I’m willingly involved in this mess. Monsters are always close thanks to Percy. Sure I could just leave him with Grover and let him face the cruel demigod world on his own with his soon-to-be friends, where monsters and gods constantly trying to get you killed. But here I am, best friend of Percy Jackson the future hero of Olympus. I don’t even know what I am, a demigod? Or a clear-sighted mortal?

“We’re here.” Percy said snapping me out of my thoughts as I paled slightly.

Okay, calm down. Focus on surviving Mrs. Dodds first, then think about your dad, if you have one.


	3. My Algebra Teacher Turned into Dust

I could only scowl as I followed Mrs. Dodds to the back room of the museum, Percy walked behind me, seemingly nervous. Well he should be, since right after this, Mrs. Dodds will turn into her true form. I mentally hoped nothing changes this time, because if Chiron came in too late, Percy and I will definitely be seeing Hades the quick way.

But why did she call me too? I clearly had nothing to do with stealing Hades’ Helm or pushing Nancy into the water fountain. That was all Percy though I do agree that she deserved it. But seriously, I don’t even know if I’m a demigod or not. Can I call myself a demigod after this? I mean Mrs. Dodds obviously thinks I’m involved in this somehow. Getting out of topic. Stupid ADHD.

She opened a door and entered an empty room, and like the good little students we were, we blindly followed. The door suddenly shut behinds us and Mrs. Dodds grinned evilly.

“Where is it?” she snarled.

“Wha-” Percy blinked, “I mean, I’m sorry for what happened to Nancy.”

“Where is it?!” she demanded louder than before.

I glanced at the door, praying that Mr. Brunner would come in with Riptide quicker. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Dodds turned to me and I froze in place.

“ _Boy…_ ” she purred as she stalked towards me.

“Wh-Whoa there, Mrs. Dodds.” I could hear my voice shook slightly as I stepped back.

“Levant’s innocent!” Percy suddenly shouted, “I pushed Nancy, not him!”

“This ain’t about her, you idiot!” I yelled in panic before quickly slapped my mouth shut. Shit! Me and my stupid mouth.

Percy looked at me, clearly confused, “What? Then what’s it about?”

Mrs. Dodds’s eyes glinted dangerously, “Yes, what is it about boy?”

I paled, “Uh, uh, I-” I glanced at Percy, “The thing is- Holy Shit!”

Percy choked from both my choice of words and Mrs. Dodds’s transformation into an overgrown hairless bat. She grabbed my jacket and literally flew me up from the ground. Slamming my back on the wall, she looked at me with her yellow glowing eyes.

“Where is it boy?” she asked once more, narrowing her eyes.

“Hades’ Helm of Darkness?” I squeaked out due to the fact that we were 10 feet from the ground and she started pushing me deeper into the wall. "I-I don't know."

A lie, of course I know. I’ve read the book for gods’ sake.

She leaned closer to me, enough to feel her breath against my cheek. It smelled like rotten eggs. _Gross_.

“Hades sent his greetings.” She purred lowly, so Percy couldn’t hear, “He ordered me not to kill you.”

I’m pretty sure my skin is as pale as her master right now. Wait, does that mean… no, it can’t be. HE can’t be my father. I’m not that pale, and I don’t have onyx eyes, but-

“Fuck!” I cursed when she slammed me harder into the wall.

I choked in my own saliva from the impact and glared murderously at her. What the hell?! She literally just said she’s not going to kill me!

“Where is it boy?!” she screeched at Percy, who stared at us dumbstruck. “Tell me now or I’ll kill your little friend.”

I am NOT little! “Now wait just a- Ack!” I yelped in pain when she bashed my body against the concrete wall, again.

She’ll pay for this later, I growled mentally.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Percy shouted, his eyes shifted on me, “Just let him go!”

“As you wish.” She grinned menacingly and pulled me closer, whispering, “Forgive me, young master.”

She dropped me as I yelled and tried to grasp the thin air helplessly. This is so fucked up. Am I going to die again? Only this time at twelve too? So not fair! I closed my eyes and braced for an excruciating impact.

I heard the doors burst opened and Mr. Brunner’s voice. Someone played a flute and I heard a **_Swoosh_ **and Mrs. Dodds cried out in pain. I started to wonder why I haven’t hit the floor yet, I was getting dizzy though.

Cautiously, I opened my eyes and saw some kind of branch wrapped around my ankle. My head was only an inch from the floor. Suddenly the branch let go and I sprawled on the floor facedown ungracefully with a grunt. I sat up as I tried to process what had happened. Pushing myself on my feet, I saw Percy with a bronze pen in his hand and a pile of gold dust in front of him.

Stumbling slightly, I held my head. My back and head hurt like hell, and my jacket was covered in white powder from the wall. Percy looked extremely confused and turned to me.

“Levant, what just happened?” he asked.

I hesitated a bit. A part of me wanted to tell him everything, but another part didn’t want to ruin the plot.

“I just remember Mrs. Dodds… grabbed me, flew to the ceiling, slammed me into the wall and threw me towards the sky like a rag doll.” Wincing as I groaned and clutched my head, “And I think I’ve got a concussion too. Just great.”

“Was that real?” he questioned.

“I don’t know, but the pain is very real.” I remarked dryly.

“I saw you fell from the ceiling, and Mr. Brunner came in. He threw me a sword and Grover played some sort of flute. Then a branch came out of nowhere, caught you by the ankle.” Percy rambled, “I-I…”

I patted his shoulder, snapping him out of his daze, “Come on. Let’s ask Mr. Brunner.”

We walked to the entrance of the museum. There, I saw Mr. Brunner, that sneaky bastard sat in his wheelchair with an umbrella, covering him from the pouring rain.

The overcooked shrimp stood near the fountain, soaked from head to toe, and glared at us. “I hope Ms. Kerr kicked your butts.” She sneered.

I stepped on Percy’s toe before he could say anything stupid. “Ow!” he yelped.

“Yeah, she kicked our butts, literally.” I snapped, unable to control my temper, “Happy?”

Nancy looked flabbergasted, but I didn’t care. I was fuming as I pulled Percy towards Mr. Brunner.

“Hello Percy,” his eyes shifted to me, I could see his eyebrow twitched slightly. “…and Levant.”

I smiled tensely to cover up my annoyance. “Percy, the pen.” I said neutrally. At the corner of my eye, I could see him glancing at me strangely.

“Oh, that’s my pen. Please remember to bring your own writing utensils next time Mr. Jackson.” Mr. Brunner stated offhandedly when he saw the pen in Percy’s hand, but his eyes briskly glanced at me again, looking slightly confused.

Percy held out the pen. “Uh… sir, where is Mrs. Do- Ow! Hey, stop it!” he yelled in frustration and smacked me in the back of my head, but quickly apologized when I was unable to cover up my grimace.

“Thank you, sir.” I said sarcastically, “For lending us the pen.” I smirked slightly when his eyes widened. “Although you could’ve come a bit sooner, you know before the old bat bashed me, oh sorry, I meant Ms. Kerr.” I smiled tightly and snatched the pen from Percy, who was looking a bit lost in the conversation.

I leaned closer to Chiron and whispered, “Thanks again, Chiron.” Dropping the pen on his lap and leaned back.

Oh, how I wish I had a camera with me. The look on his face is priceless. Though he immediately masked it with a gentle smile. Keeping my smile, I pulled Percy to join Grover, whose face was pure horror. Seems like he heard what I said, satyrs’ senses sure are sharp. Ah well.

“Yo!” I greeted casually as I sat next to him, “So, did the stupid orangutan bother you again while we were gone?”

He looked at me and quickly answered, “Um, no. she just tried to dry herself off.”

I flashed him a slight smile, “Nice.”

I lowered my voice, making sure Percy couldn’t hear me, “By the way, thanks.”

“For what?” he asked in a low tone as well.

“The branch.” I replied and walked lazily towards the bus, “See you guys on the bus.”

Before I got on, I caught a glimpse of Grover giving Chiron a helpless look, and I subtly smirked.


	4. Grover the Goat Boy

I sat on the couch and jotted down some ideas of my latest story in my notebook with music blasting from my earphones. Mom had just baked a fresh batch of blueberry muffins and life couldn’t be more perfect. I even almost forget about the fury incident a week ago… Can you hear my sarcasm right now?

“How’s school?” my mom asked randomly.

“Okay la.” I grinned and she chuckled at my usual response.

“I saw your report card.” She appeared with a plate of delicious goods on her hand from the kitchen.

I stopped writing mid-sentence and glanced at her, humming nonchalantly and kept on writing as if it didn’t bother me at all. Internally however, I was extremely anxious of my results and her reaction to them along with the teacher’s comments.

She put the plate down gently on the tea table and patted my head, smiling the entire time. “You did great, Levant. You’re really smart, you know that? I’m proud of you.”

My ears tinted red as I beamed at her, munching a muffin. I almost moaned aloud at the heavenly taste.

“How’s Percy?”

I froze a second and shrugged before she noticed. “He’s alright. A bit stressed, but he’ll be fine.”

“Stressed?” she raised an eyebrow, giving me THE look.

“Uh, I mean, he has to go back to that shit hole, right?” Nice save, mentally giving myself a pat on the back. 

“Language!” my mom scolded before she sighed, “I really have no idea where you learned that kind of language, young man, but you’d better not use it in this home. Understood?” Giving me THE look, again.

I quickly nodded, “Yes ma’am.” I swear it gets me every time.

“Gabe always abuses him.” I continued.

She frowned, “I still can’t believe Sally is still with that guy. Knowing her, she must have a good reason.” She ruffled my hair, obviously trying to change the subject, and I let her.

“Ma!” I whined but ended up smiling instead.

Suddenly the door burst open and Grover came barging in, I jumped from the couch. Ink splattered all over my newly written page.

“Grover!” I growled out as I glared murderously, making him cower slightly. “Do you not know how to knock?”

“Don’t have time.” He surprisingly cut me from biting his head off and my left eye twitched. “Have you seen Percy? I lost him in the bus station.”

So, it’s that part huh. I raised an eyebrow, “Have you checked his apartment?”

Grover shook his head, “He wasn’t there, along with his mom.” Scrunching his nose in disgust, “His stepfather won’t tell me where he is.”

“Grover?” my mom looked confused, “What are you doing here?”

She knows him, which confirms my theory – I’m a demigod. Perfect. Well, goodbye dreams and hopes for a normal life. I will miss you a lot. I looked at her with my eyebrows raised.

“You two know each other?” faking confusion.

“Uh, kinda?” She sounded unsure.

“Percy’s in danger.” He spoke quickly, “He-He…”

He’s got a Minotaur hot on his ass. If I remember correctly he’s at the beach with his mom. Then Grover went there without his pants on, and judging by the look on his face, Percy already met the Fates. _Awesome._

“I think he said he’s going to a beach, Montawk or something. You know the cabin he used to stay in?” I suggested.

Grover glanced at me in suspicion. “How do you know that?”

“Uh, I’ve been friends with him for most of my life? He sometimes tells me about that place. He likes it there.” Not exactly a lie.

“Levant…” he drawled, “Are you hiding something from me?”

I gulped nervously. I totally forgot he can read emotions and right now he most likely knows I’m lying through my teeth. Shit. My mom grabbed me by the shoulder and forced me to look at her.

“Levant, what happened in school?” she asked seriously.

Opening my mouth to answer but hesitated before words started to form. Should I tell her?

“Levant!” she squeezed my shoulder. The pressure snapped me out of my mental debate.

“A Fury attacked me and Percy during the field trip to the museum.” I blurted out, “And uh, she said Percy stole something and uh…” My eyes trailed off her hazel ones, “something about Hades saying hi.” I finished quietly, barely audible.

I could feel her hand trembled violently and she quickly pulled back, looking like she saw a ghost.

“Impossible.” She whispered. “Your father promised he wouldn’t bother you.”

This is so not happening. I get why Mom hid this from me so I can have a normal childhood and I’m grateful for it. But back to what matters, please don’t tell me he’s interested in me because I was dead and then reincarnated into this world. A lot more theories popped up in my head as I raced through the possibilities, which left me even more unsettled.

“You know where the beach is, right?” Grover asked.

I nodded, still distracted, “Uh, yeah, why?”

“Ms. Ral,” he suddenly grabbed my arm, my eyes widened at the unexpected action, “Can I borrow your son for a while? He’ll be back at the end of summer.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up!” I exclaimed as I yanked my arm from his grip and glared at him, “What the hell is going on here?”

My mom simply smiled sadly and nodded, “It’s safer there than here.”

Okay, did they just basically tell me that I’m a demigod? Suddenly my mom hugged me tight, breaking me from my ADHD driven train of thoughts.

“Ma, what on Earth are you talking about?” I knitted my eyebrows together, “What is that place?” And the Oscar goes to…

“Trust me, okay?” Looking me in the eye as she pulled back.

To play the role of a dumb, ignorant kid, I ignored my better and much more intelligent intuition. “Okay ma, I trust you.” I spoke softly after a moment of silence.

She went to grab something from her room and placed something in my hand, a bronze ink pen along with a black one. “Here. These are my lucky charms, they can help protect you.”

Pens huh. Wonder what sort of weapons are they?

“Now go.” She smiled, “Help your friend.”

“Sure, but if I’m gone for the rest of the summer, can I at least pack a backpack?”

*******

Grover and I took a cab and headed to the beach where Percy stayed. The sun was already setting and the moon had started to climb the dimming sky. The sky grew darker by the second and he began to chew his shirt anxiously. My eyebrow rose unintentionally at his mannerism but I kept quiet.

“This is bad.” He murmured to himself, “This is really bad. Sir, can you please drive a bit faster? This is really important.” He asked hastily.

“Sorry kid, the road is full of traffic tonight.” The driver said, “We’re stuck.”

“The beach isn’t too far from here right?” I questioned, a bit nervous thanks to the satyr beside me.

He nodded absentmindedly. My lips twitched upwards and threw some money to the front seat, “Keep the change, sir. We’ll walk.”

I grabbed Grover along with my backpack and opened the door, throwing him outside. I flinched when I heard something roared in the distance, while he started to whimper. Great, Minnie the bull-head is already near us. I slammed the door shut and started running towards the beach.

“Come on!” I yelled over the rain.

Grover quickly dragged me into a nearby empty alley and took off his pants in record time in front of me. I know he can run faster without those jeans and shoes, but _seriously_! That’s disturbing in a whole other level!

“Dude!” I exclaimed, “What the hell?!”

I gawked at the pair of goat legs with wide eyes. Knowing about it is a far cry from seeing it in person. “Please tell me you just spiked my drink and that it’s just my crazy imagination.”

“Huh?” Grover seemed a bit lost at my random remark.

I pinched my arm hard, “Okay, so I’m not crazy. Those are real, and my friend’s half goat. This is completely normal.”

He let out an angered bleh, “It’s satyr!”

“Right, satyr. Got it.” My hands raised in surrender.

“You’re not going to deny it?” He asked in bewilderment.

I raised an eyebrow, “Do you prefer me screaming my head off that my friend is some kind of human-goat hybrid that escaped from some secret government lab? Cause’ I can definitely do that.”

“I’m a SATYR!” he yelled at me, “Call me a goat one more time and I will kick you in the butt!”

“Okay, okay, chill dude. Are we just gonna argue more about this? There’s something huge behind us and I do not want to stay and find out what the hell it is.”

Grover began to run and I simply rolled my eyes. Remarkably I was able to keep up. In my previous life, I was never athletic. I could only run for ten seconds tops before I tire out, and right now I can sprint at full speed without having to worry about my stamina. One of the perks of being a demigod, I guess.

The wind was getting stronger and the rain was pouring when we arrived at the cabin where Percy stayed. The growling behind us grew louder and louder by the second. Grover wasted no time and banged the door repeatedly.

“PERCY!” he yelled, “OPEN THE DOOR!”

My eyes widened when I caught a glimpse of a huge figure with horns. Clicking the bronze pen in panic, a sword made of celestial bronze appeared on my hand. It was three feet long with a white cloth wrapped around the handle and a gold hilt. It was a simple, practical yet elegant design, suiting me perfectly.

I couldn’t help but let my twelve-year-old self shine through and grinned: I have a sword. This is so cool.

A roar snapped me from my thoughts and I steeled my nerves. “Grover! Keep trying!” I shouted over the storm as I twirled the sword in my hand. It was perfectly balanced, and most importantly, it felt…right. “I’ll keep our guest busy!”


	5. Playing Tag With a Cow is Not in My Bucket List

I charged at the Minotaur, ignoring Grover’s cries of protest and halted right in front of the monster. It roared and slammed its fists against the ground hard. Narrowing my eyes at its inhuman strength, I took in its appearance. It had gigantic muscles underneath its greyish skin along with large sharp horns attached to its bull head. A pair of hoofs and bright white underwear to complete the look. At least the white lets me see it more clearly in the dark.

I heard another roar and instinctively ducked as its huge muscular arm swept over my head. I rolled to its side, trying to find a weak spot when a thought hit me like a train.

I’ve never fought with a sword before! How on Earth am I going to kill this overgrown cow?!

I gulped as the monster pointed its dangerously sharp horns at me and I jumped when it charged. My grip tightened and I closed my eyes, trying to calm my breathing as I felt mini earthquakes, it’s coming. I don’t have to kill it, I reminded myself. I only need to buy some time for them to escape.

Steeling myself, I opened my eyes and I speed towards the charging monstrosity, brushing aside every warning from my brain. Using the sand, I bent on my knee and slid below the Minotaur in one fluent move. By pure luck, I wasn’t squashed like a bug by accident. Swiftly I pushed myself to my feet with my free hand while it skidded through the wet sand and charged straight to the sea.

It finally stopped when the sea water reached to its knees. At the same time, I dashed in full speed towards the monster and leaped with the momentum I built up. Its arm acting as a stepping platform, I grabbed one of its horns from its back and stabbed my sword into its eye to the hilt. It roared in pain and anger as I pulled the sword out only to be thrown into the cold water. Barely dodging its hoofs, I pushed my body upwards for air.

However, my luck had already run out. The Minotaur lifted me up to his face and snarled, before I could gasp properly I was plunged back into the water, hard. I let out a cry of pain when my back hit the water. But before I could gather my sense, the damned bull head punched me in the stomach, sending me back underwater to the seabed.

I gagged in panic while mentally cursing myself as water began to fill my lungs. It hurt like hell and my brain started to go haywire. It picked me up again and I coughed violently, throwing up some of the water when air attacked my lungs. It took my sword, which somehow managed to stay in my grip, and threw it somewhere on the beach.

Raising me into the air, the bullhead smashed me back into the sea. Water assaulted my lungs again as it held me underwater. I pushed, punched, kicked in desperation for air and it finally pulled me up once more, only to slam its fist painfully against my chest. Instantly, all the oxygen I miraculously still had left my body. My vision began to darken and my limbs refused to cooperate.

So, this is it, am I going to die? I thought and closed my eyes.

Then suddenly the Minotaur let go of me and a hand grabbed my shoulder, pulling me out of the water. I coughed up sea water uncontrollably and greedily gulped air. My chest was still burning and my head was throbbing. The one who saved my life dragged me to the shore and kindly lied me on the soft sand. I focused my blurry vision on my saviour and saw a grown-up version of Percy standing in front of me.

“…Poseidon?” I wheezed out in confusion as the black dots began to fade.

He handed me my sword, “I didn’t help you. I just happened to pass by and the Minotaur ‘accidentally’ attacked me.” He glanced at me and gave me one of Percy’s infamous lopsided grins, “Besides it disturbed my domain, I have a right to defend it.”

He disappeared into sea soon after that, leaving a scent of sea water behind. I narrowed my eyes at the sea and watched with some satisfaction as huge tentacles and a few cyclops held the Minotaur back, buying us more time. I dropped my head back on the sand when the pain started to intensify. I need to get to the hospital… Scratch that, I need ambrosia and nectar.

“Levant!”

A pair of hands picked me up from the sand and helped me stand. I opened my eyes and saw Auntie Sally helping me walk to her car.

“Dear God, are you okay?” she asked in worry.

I tried to smile but it came out as a grimace, “I’m fine.” wincing afterwards. That beef loaf broke my ribs and twisted my ankle.

My entire body screamed in pain and my brain yelled at me to shut my eyes but I stubbornly refused. I refuse to be useless, a burden. Percy and Grover need me after this. Grover will pass out and we’ll have to fight that cow in stereos again.

“Is that a sword?” Percy questioned, pointing at my sword.

Ignoring his question, I pressed the bottom of the hilt and it morphed back into a bronze pen.

“Did the sword just…” he looked flabbergasted but shook it off and glared, “You have a lot of explaining to do.”

“Later,” I winced as Ms. Jackson helped me enter the backseat, “when I’m not in pain.” Murmuring the last part.

Grover quickly took a seat next to me, sending me worried looks and mumbled ‘useless’ over and over again. Thanks to the pain I’m in, my patience was much thinner than before.

“It ain’t your fault!” I snapped sharply, “So quit beating yourself about it.”

“But you got hurt! It's my job to keep you safe.” He protested.

“We’re still alive, right? Sure, I got my ass kicked by that beefcake and probably need medical attention ASAP. But hey, Goat Boy, I’m still alive.”

His eyes turned glossy, his bottom lip trembled as he mouthed ‘satyr’ to me.

“Now, do your job and make sure we’re still breathing until we get to this camp. Yeah?” I gave him an encouraging smile.

Suddenly out of nowhere, a lightning bolt hit the car, sending it into the air. Next thing I knew was lying on the roof with blood coming from my nose. My head was screeching and my breathing became uneven. I groaned and clutched my head. This isn’t good. This is _so_ not good.

“Grover…” I called out weakly, no reply.

“Are you guys okay?” Sally asked.

“I’m fine.” Percy answered with a groan.

“Been better, but Grover’s unconscious.”

I froze when I heard the damned bull head roared in the distance. “Get out!” I shouted in urgency, dismissing the sharp pain in my chest.

With my remaining strength, I kicked the cracked window and crawled out of the car, barely noticing some of the glass shards piercing my arms. After I got out, I pulled Grover carefully through the hole I made. I tried to pull him up, but I soon collapsed on the ground with Grover on top of me. Every inch of my body was refusing to work.

“I’ll help.” Percy appeared and carried Grover on his back. I mumbled thanks and pushed myself up. A hand wrapped around my waist and pulled my arm around their neck, supporting me before I could fall face down again. I turned slightly and saw Ms. Jackson helping me again.

“I’ve got you.” She said softly.

“No, you’ve got to go now.” I breathed out, “It’s dangerous for you to stay. It could come any second.”

She shook her head, “It’s okay, we’ll be safe after this.”

A lie. She can’t enter the camp thanks to the borders. So why?

“Why?” voicing my confusion, “I’m not Percy.”

“I’ve always considered you as my son, Levant.” She chuckled, “Never forget that.”

The roars grew louder and louder, but we managed to reach the peak of the hill. I could see the infamous pine tree and Camp Half-Blood from here. She placed me on the ground next to Thalia’s tree and walked towards Percy. She stopped when the Minotaur charged at her and her son. She yelled something and jumped to the left while Percy jumped to the right.

It hollered in anger and charged once more, this time towards Ms. Jackson. She jumped to the right, but unfortunately the monster caught her in its hand.

“Mom!” Percy yelled and dashed towards the Minotaur.

“No Percy!” she cried out, “You’ll be safe inside the camp’s borders!”

I could only watch in horror as the Minotaur squashed her in its hand. Auntie Sally turned into some kind of golden mist and disappeared. I knew that Hades had taken her, but it pissed me off to see her taken like that, only to be a pawn. An exchange for some stupid symbol of power. Percy’s furious yell snapped me from my thoughts as he charged at the monster, only to be swatted away like a fly.

“Percy!” I shouted as I pushed myself up.

Ignoring the ever-growing pain, I clicked my pen and my sword appeared in my grip again. I sprinted towards the cow, only to duck when it swung its hand at me and rolled to the side. Quickly I scrambled back on my feet and slashed deep into its back. It screamed and turned to face me.

“Miss me?” I taunted with a smirk plastered on my face.

It obviously did since it bellowed in rage and charged at me again. I can’t jump to the side, it’ll catch me like Ms. Jackson. So, I did something incredibly stupid.

I ran straight ahead and jumped when I was near enough, cutting off its horn. But just my luck, I landed on my twisted ankle and fell on my ass with a yelp. The Minotaur cried out in response.

I bet he really hates me now. First I made him blind, then I cut off his horn. I’m probably first place on his need-to-kill list.

It sprinted towards me at full speed without giving me a chance to recover. I barely dodged but the damn beef loaf thrust its arm out, hitting me square in the chest. I couldn’t muffle my scream when it hit my broken ribs, sending me straight into Thalia’s tree with my head colliding first and I slumped to the ground, barely conscious.

“Levant!” Percy shouted as he rushed to my side, only to be blocked by the Minotaur.

“Get out of my way, you stupid overgrown cow!” He yelled in frustration and glared murderously.

“Use my sword!” I croaked out.

He quickly scanned our surroundings and sprinted for my sword, scrambling to hold it properly in his hands. He faced the Minotaur but quickly ducked when its remaining horn was too close for comfort. He stabbed the sword deep into its chest. It cried out in pain and stumbled backwards before turning into golden dust, showering Percy who was right beneath it.

I let out a breath of relief and tried to stand, only to crumble back on the ground immediately. My eyes started to close on its own as my body shuts itself down.

“Whoa, Levant.” Percy crouched in front of me, “Please don’t pass out now.” He turned to Grover’s unconscious form, “How am I supposed to help you and Grover?”

“Get me up.” I whispered, my throat was burning from the yelling, and he did carefully.

I winced in pain and leaned on Thalia’s tree for support. My chest was hurting like hell. My head shrieked like a banshee next to my ears and my lungs were still on fire from my previous battle on the beach. But I willed myself to stay awake. I had to, for his sake and Grover’s. I gave a feeble attempt to call on my adrenaline but it kept slipping away.

“Go inside the Big House. Get help.” I murmured weakly, “I’ll be here with Grover.”

He nodded and gave me back my sword, “Thanks.”

I accepted it but ignored his gratitude. He should be thanking himself for killing the Minotaur, not me. I was utterly useless while he fought. “Go. I don’t know how long I can stay awake.”

He quickly entered the border and disappeared into camp. I sighed in exhaustion and rested my head on the pine tree. The bronze sword turned back into a pen and closed my eyes, only to hear footsteps coming my way. My eyes half opened and saw a girl with curly blonde hair and sharp grey eyes stared at me. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. She walked to Grover and helped him up with Percy.

However, the boy behind her made my blood run cold. Sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, a scar running down from his left eyebrow to his left cheek. Luke Castellan, son of Hermes. And guess what? He brought me to camp, straight to the infirmary. But before I could lay on the bed, I passed out.


	6. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood

My body ached all over as if a truck ran me over. Well more like a bull, which is true in my case. I slowly opened my heavy eyelids and groaned, rubbing my throbbing head as I tried to regain my bearings. I looked around and saw a large room with lots of beds and a wall full of medicine stacked neatly in a corner.

“Levant!”

I flinched at the loud noise and saw Grover standing next to me with no pants on, grinning.

“Oh gods, I thought you already saw Hades.” He said, practically crying tears of joy.

I scowled at him in annoyance, “Grover, keep your voice down and quit crying. I’m fine, honestly.”

“You’re _fine?!_ You were dying when Luke brought you here!” he exclaimed in disbelief, completely discarded my warning.

“You were out cold.” I deadpanned, as he blushed madly again. “How the hell did you know that?”

“Annabeth and Michael told me,” He smiled sheepishly, “when I woke up.”

Michael… who is he again?

Grover took something from the small bedside table next to me and handed to me. Ambrosia. Is it really safe for me to eat it? I really don’t want to die from bursting myself into flames, that’s a terrible way to die. I ended up eyeing it in suspicion before Grover pushed it into my hand forcefully.

“Just eat it.” He said, “It’ll help you recover faster.”

My eyes narrowed at the square and took a VERY small bite. Swallowing it, I held my breath, waiting for something to happen, for example spontaneous combustion.

Nothing.

I let out a silent breath of relief. From the corner of my eye, I could see Grover watching me, amused. I ate the whole square once I was sure it was safe. It tastes like my mother’s blueberry muffins. The ache on my body started to disappear and I felt a lot better physically.

“Better?” he asked.

I grinned, “Very.”

“Can you walk?”

I placed my feet on the ground and tried to stand up cautiously. Wobbling slightly, I gave him a nod after I tested a few steps.

“Follow me.” He exited, I guess the infirmary?

I trailed behind Grover and we left the building. My eyes widened when I saw Camp Half-Blood for the first time. Seeing it and reading about it is very different, in a good way.

It was beautiful. The strawberry fields, the cabins, the Amphitheatre, the archery field, the lake… it’s almost serene like. The weather however ruined it. The sky was grey and cloudy, as if it was about to rain. I could also see some kids training with swords and spears. A few of them noticed me and started to murmur between themselves.

“Uh, Grover?” I whispered, “I didn’t do anything wrong right?”

The satyr glanced at me, “They all heard that you and Percy killed a Minotaur and they’re just,” He scanned the group of campers, “They’re just trying to figure out who’s your godly parent.”

I raised an eyebrow skeptically, “Seriously?”

He simply chuckled before he informed me, “Percy and Mr. Brunner are waiting for you in the Big House.”

“Percy? He’s up already?” I asked, a bit surprised.

“Not too long ago.” He answered.

Even though I knew Percy is fine through the books, I still let out a sigh of relief.

Finally, we arrived at the Big House, I saw Percy on the porch, looking confused. In front of him was Chiron, standing there unmoving, except for his horse tail which twitched every now and then.

“Percy!” I called out.

He flinched and turned his head to my direction. His lips formed a smile and ran towards me.

“Levant!” he shouted and gave me a bear hug.

I tensed. I did not expect that. I knew he was glad to see me, but was that really necessary?

“Percy, let go.” I spoke calmly as I patted his back awkwardly, only for him to squeeze tighter, “Now!” I barked. He jumped in fright and finally let go of me.

“Thank you.” I said sarcastically as I dusted myself in slight annoyance of being pulled in a hug unwillingly.

“So, you’re already up, Levant.” Chiron trotted to my side, a forced relax smile plastered on his face. I hid my amusement with a grin and a wave.

“Hey Mr. Brunner.” I greeted as my eyes scanned him, “You’re…half horse. What do they call you again? A centre?”

His eyes twitched slightly and his smile started to drop a bit, “It’s Centaur and it’s good to see you up.”

“How did you know?” A girl’s voice came from behind him. Chiron moved aside and I saw Annabeth Chase observing me, well more like studying me from head to toe. I shifted uncomfortably.

“Um, can you stop looking at me like that?” I asked, “It’s freaking me out.”

“You’re the kid Luke brought to the infirmary.” Annabeth stated, completely ignoring my comment, “Who are you?”

“Levant,” I answered, “You?”

“Annabeth.” She walked towards me, closing our distance, and I leaned back. “How did you know that Chiron’s a centaur?”

I raised my eyebrows at her attitude. “Uh, I read about him once, and uh, can you step back a bit? You’re in my personal space.”

Her grey eyes narrowed, “Really?”

“Really.” I drawled out sarcastically, “Honestly, I don’t even give a damn. Just stop, please.”

She stepped back, “I don’t believe you.”

“Annabeth, enough.” Chiron sighed deeply, “Why don’t you and Grover give Percy a tour? I would like to talk to Levant here for a bit, privately.”

Annabeth scowled and sent me a glare as she grabbed Percy by the arm and dragged him away. I followed Chiron into the famous Big House and saw a full-grown man wearing a tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt drinking diet coke with a glass of water and a bottle of wine next to his armchair. He yawned, didn’t even bother to look at me or Chiron.

“This is Mr. D, the Camp Director.” Chiron said.

My eyes widened in realization, “Dionysus, god of wine.” I breathed out in astonishment. So, this is Dionysus. I must admit it was rather disappointing, however looks can be deceiving. He is a god for a reason.

Mr. D’s eyes lightened up in surprise, “So, a brat finally knows me, huh?”

“How did you know?” Chiron questioned.

I mentally rolled my eyes. Because I read the book, duh.

“Uh, the wine next to him and the water. You can’t drink alcohol because Zeus banned you from drinking, most likely to prevent bad influence to kids.” I bull-shitted convincingly.

“Who’s your godly parent again?” Mr. D asked curiously.

“I… don’t know, yet.” I admitted.

He turned to Chiron, “You sure this one’s not Athena’s?” 

“His appearance doesn’t match the other Athena kids.”

“Brown hair, pale skin, blue eyes. Could be anybody’s kid.”

My eye twitched slightly at Mr. D’s wording.

Mr. D waved his hand lazily, “Name?”

“Levant Ral.”

“So Lenold, welcome to Camp Half-Blood blah, blah, blah.” He rested his chin on his hand, “As you probably know, I’m Mr. D and that’s Chiron, the camp counsellor.”

My eyebrow twitched unconsciously and nodded, “So, uh, where do I stay?”

“You’re not going to argue about all this?” his eyebrows raised in surprise, “Not that I hope you’d whine like Johnson did. I’ve had enough of whiny brats today.”

“Uh, not really.” I answered honestly. After meeting Percy, I’m over the denial state. So, having a monster on my ass is not news to me.

“There is literally a Greek god sitting right in front me. I’ve seen a Minotaur, a Fury, one of my best friends has a pair of goat legs and my Latin teacher is half horse. So, I think arguing is pointless… and troublesome.”

He stared at me before sighing deeply, “Whatever, just go already.”

I nodded and turned to the door when it suddenly swung open, almost hitting my face in the process. My expression hardened when I saw Luke came in, sweat glistening on his forehead, still panting hard with a sword strapped on his waist.

“Mr. D, Chiron.” He nodded at them respectively.

*******

“Ah, Luke.” Chiron smiled, “Good timing, can you give our newest camper here a tour?”

I glanced at the centaur before looking back at Luke, who was examining me with a mischievous grin. I pushed down the unease growing in me and shoved my hands in my jean pockets. My fingers twirled around my pen cautiously.

The blonde wiped his sweaty forehead and smeared his hand on his pants before offering it to me, “Hi. I’m Luke.”

I stared at his hand then his face. He did NOT just do that. That is disgusting. I plastered a friendly smile on my face to cover the scowl creeping in. I knew I had to stay low for a while, so I took his hand, shook it, let go, wiped my hand repeatedly on my jeans and shoved my hand back into my pocket in seconds. Instead of offending him, his grin grew wider.

“Levant.” I shrugged casually like nothing has happened, “Sorry about that. Not a fan of physical contact.” Nor you, I thought darkly.

“No worries. So, how are you?” he asked, “Last time I saw you, you were out cold, well… more like dying to be exact.”

“I’m fine.” Rubbing the back of my head, “The ambrosia helped a lot.”

“Follow me.” He exited the Big House.

I sighed and I did. He explained how the camp works, but I let his words pass through my ears and ignored most of the stuff. I knew them already, the twelve cabins represent the Olympian gods blah, blah, blah. I stopped when we heard a girl’s voice. Someone’s angry. Then Percy’s voice came into my ears as he insulted Ares, unintentionally.

I sighed in exasperation and slapped my forehead. Percy, you so owe me for this. I headed towards the source, dismissing Luke’s cry of protest. Clarisse already had Percy’s neck in a headlock while Annabeth just watched in horror.

“Let him go.” I said casually, like I was talking about the weather. My hands shoved back in my jean pocket and I stared at her dead in the eye.

Clarisse saw me and her scowl deepened, “What do you want punk?!” 

Annabeth shook her head at me. I ignored her, instead I allowed my lips to curve upwards in amusement. “I literally just told you. Let him go.”

She shoved Percy aside and he landed on his face. I raised an eyebrow as I mentally laughed. “Do you have a problem punk?” she sneered at me, her friends behind her.

I kept my posture relax and cocked my head to the side. “Five versus one, huh?” I smirked slightly, “Ares will be ashamed if he saw this. As the god of war, he wouldn’t allow something like this dishonorable taken place, especially by his own children.”

Her eyes widened, “How did you know? You’re a newbie.”

I mentally sighed, is everybody going to say that every time I decide to step in?

I simply shrugged, “Violent, bulky, short temper, reddish-brown hair, strong. Ares’s traits. Besides, Ares is actually a pretty cool god aside from his temper.” I said, wouldn’t hurt to shine the god’s shoe for a bit, and smiled, “Also my apologies, my friend tends to bad mouth people when he’s in a bad mood.”

“Tsk, fine.” She turned around, “But don’t think I’ll forget.”

My smile widened slightly, “I’ll make sure he’ll behave the next time we meet.”

As soon as she left, Luke appeared beside me, panting hard and my smile dropped. He glared at me, “What the Hades were you thinking?! Clarisse could’ve beaten the crap out of you!”

I tilted my head as I raised an eyebrow at him, looking at him like he’s stupid. “She uses brute force. I just used a diplomatic approach to convince her stop strangling Percy.” I spoke slowly as if I’m talking to a five-year-old child, “Sometimes strength isn’t your strongest weapon, you just have to use your brain.”

I walked towards Percy and pulled him up.

“And you,” I glared at him in annoyance, “got to learn to keep your mouth shut.”

He shoved me, “Shut up! I can handle her, you know!”

“Yeah, of course you can.” I said with sarcasm dripping in every word as I patted his back.

He growled and I heard something burst and someone yelled from the toilets. I frowned slightly, I forgot that part and I changed the plot, by saving Percy from Clarisse.

“What was…” Annabeth trailed off in shock.

“Shit.” I murmured under my breath, earning a glare from Luke.


	7. Life as A Demigod

I sat on the only spot with grass at the beach by myself and stared at the calm blue sea. Luke trained with Percy today, and they already forgotten my existence. Which is perfect since I don’t want to change the plot anymore. I closed my eyes and laid my back on the soft grass with tree shade, enjoying the breeze. Today is perfect, and I want to enjoy it while it lasts.

“Hey, you must be the new guy.”

I opened an eye and saw a beautiful girl with dark brown hair and blue eyes looking down at me. She smiled and sat next to me.

“My name is Silena Beauregard.” She looked at the ocean.

“Levant Ral.” I gave her slight smile, a bit confused why she’s talking to me.

“I heard you ‘smooth talked’ Clarisse not kill to your friend yesterday.” She said softly, “I’m impressed. It’s almost impossible to stop her from beating someone up.”

I sat up, “Not really. It was her choice. Didn’t matter what I said.”

“Almost all the campers are talking about you.” she glanced at me, “that you’re smart like the Athena kids.”

I could feel my face heat up as I scratched the back of my head, “Seriously?” I asked nervously.

She giggled and I’m pretty sure my face is as red as a tomato right now. I totally forgot she’s a daughter of Aphrodite.

“You’re cute when you blush.” She commented with a smile and stood up, leaving me stunned.

I blinked once, twice before shaking my head. “Staying low huh?” I mumbled and laid back on the grass again. I sighed in content as I closed my eyes, enjoying the quiet afternoon. The warmth from the sun. The cool breeze against my skin-

“There you are.” A male voice interrupted the peaceful moment.

My eyes peaked half opened and found Luke Castellan standing near me with his sword strapped on his waist. I sighed in annoyance. Can’t I get a break?

I closed my eyes again, ignoring him completely, or trying to, which is very hard since he kept staring at me. My eye twitched when I could still feel his eyes on me after a minute, it’s really starting to creep me out.

“Stop it, will ya?” I called irritatingly.

He stayed silent, so I glanced at him only to notice his hand was reaching for his sword. My eyes widened and rolled to the side instinctively, narrowly avoided the suddenly drawn sword.

“Are you insane?!” I exclaimed in a higher pitch, freaking out.

Luke simply pulled his sword from the ground, right where my head was, and stalked like a predator. I gulped when I saw his eyes, ice cold. He swung his sword again and I leaped towards the shore with wet sand now sticking to my sneakers. Dodging a swing with mere seconds to spare, I yelled “Hey! Cut it out!”.

“Fight me.” He finally spoke in a monotone voice.

“Wha-EEK!” I quickly jumped back when the sword was only a few inches from my face.

Landing on my feet, I clicked the bronze pen as Luke stabbed. A sword appeared on my hand, barely blocking the incoming weapon. Metal met metal with a loud **_CLANG_** and he raised an eyebrow when he saw my sword. I quickly pushed him away and jumped back, breathing slightly faster. He smirked as he watched me getting into a stance, twirling his sword and gave me a smug look.

He grinned, “Finally, you draw your sword.”

“If you want to fight or something, just ask, instead of swinging your sword around like a psychopath!” I growled with a dark scowl, earning an eyebrow twitch.

“You needed encouragement.” He shrugged, “You are one lazy kid.”

“I prefer the term selective participation.” I snarked back as I narrowed my eyes wearily, “Besides I hate pointless fighting. It’s a waste of time and a pain in the as-uh-butt.”

“Spar with me.”

I blinked, “Excuse me?”

“Percy said you managed to hold the Minotaur back twice, even in your dying breath.” He stated, ignoring my darkening scowl. I wasn't dying, damn it Percy! Stop exaggerating things!

I sighed and gazed at the calm sea horizon. “Lucky, I guess.” I replied softly.

“We’ll see.” He simply responded.

My eyes widened when I saw Luke charged at me with his sword ready from the corner of my eye, and quickly jumped to the side. He spun around, swinging his sword at me. Swiftly I blocked and pushed him away to create some distance. As he charged, I slashed at his face which he expertly deflected.

We exchanged blows, not knowing we were gathering an audience. I grimaced when I felt Luke’s strength against my blade. I knew I couldn’t keep up head on, so parlaying his sword towards the ground, I attempted elbow him in the face, which he caught with his free hand. He smirked tauntingly and shoved it away, causing me to lose balance and rolled on the ground. I scrambled back to my feet, panting hard.

As I collected my thoughts, I felt something in my other hand. I glanced down and found the black pen that was in my pocket now in my tight fist. I must have unknowingly taken it out during the fight. Before I could process this new information, Luke charged at me again, breaking my train of thoughts.

Hastily I blocked the blow, I spun around and tossed my sword in the air as a distraction. I swapped the pen to my right hand and clicked the cap. The pen turned into a pitch-black sword, identical to my other one but with black wrappings and an onyx hilt instead. I caught the bronze sword from the air with my left hand as I finished the spin in one smooth motion. I subtly noted Luke’s eyes widened when he saw another sword after him. He quickly jumped back while deflecting my black one with his own. I panted hard like I ran a marathon, but still I felt the corner of my lips lifted.

I had two swords now.

“A dual wielder, huh?” Luke commented, panting hard but not as hard as me, “That’s rare.”

I shifted into a fighting position, a bit awkward since it was my first time in wielding two swords. This time, I was first to attack. Luke blocked it while I slashed with my other sword. He ducked and pushed the other sword away as he leaped back. I kept the onslaught furiously with my blades and he was able to block them one by one. But I noticed he was getting overwhelmed.

But of course, as a newbie like myself, I began to tire. My strikes were starting to lack the speed and strength they once had, and I was getting reckless. Soon enough, he disarmed me with his sword an inch before my neck within a minute. He chuckled as he pulled back his sword.

“Good.” Luke smiled, “You’ve got a lot of potential there. Never thought you are a dual wielder.”

I picked up my swords and brushed the bottom of the hilts, turning back into my pens and tucked them safely in my pockets.

“I’m tired.” I remarked flatly and Luke sweat-dropped.

“Still, I could train you.” He offered, “You can be a great swordsman along with Percy.”

“Whatever.” I shrugged without a care.

He grabbed my arm, beaming, while I glared murderously at his hand, “Come on, let’s go back.”

I nodded absent-mindedly as I noticed some of the campers stared at me and Luke with awe. Some girls whispered among themselves, giggling, and worse some Aphrodite kids were squealing in deafening high pitches. I thought I even saw Annabeth blushing, then again, she has a huge crush on him.

“Looks like you even got a new fan club.” He commented, swinging his arm across my shoulder.

I shoved his arm off and scowled darkly, before my eye twitched in annoyance when the Aphrodite kids quickly fixed their hair when they saw me glancing at them. 

“This is just great.” I grumbled sarcastically under my breath as I trailed lazily behind Luke to the showers.


	8. Can A Horse Be One of Hermes’?

**-Dinner Time-**

I face-planted on the table. Every inch of my body was sore as hell and Percy just looked at me with pity. He already heard what happened this afternoon. He’s also proud of himself that he won against Luke while I didn’t. How did I know that? Well, I read the book. Not to mention, the Stolls kept telling me about it over and over again.

“I want to go back to bed.” I groaned, earning a sigh.

“Lazy ass.” Percy mumbled as he ate a sausage.

My eye twitched and turned my face towards him, while still on the table, “Shut up, Sponge Bob.”

He choked and stared at me with disbelief. “Sponge Bob?” he questioned, almost amused.

“I meant Fish Breath.” I corrected since Percy probably never saw Sponge Bob before or that Sponge Bob Squarepants never existed in this world. Pity. What’s the point of insulting someone when they don’t even know what you’re talking about?

Smacking me with a spoon, “Shut up… uh…” he tried to find a better nickname, “Levi.” He smirked, clearly proud of himself.

I raised an eyebrow and stared at him in incredulity, “Seriously? That's the best you can do?”

“I think that’s cute.” Another voice joined the conversation.

I rolled my eyes, “Oh look, goody two shoes Lucy is joining this stupid discussion.” Luke stabbed me in the side with a fork playfully and I squirmed, quickly sitting up straight.

“It’s Luke, Lei-Lei.” He spoke loudly while munching a toast.

I heard Percy spit his drink at some unfortunate Hermes’ kid in front of him, while the campers who heard choked on their food, giggled, snickered and simply burst into laughter. Even Chiron had a smile on his face.

“Don’t call me that!” I hissed and kicked his leg hard, “Asshole.” 

This time Chiron choked and Mr. D glared at my poor choice of words. He kicked back and chided me, but I completely ignored him, silently fuming in my seat.

“Lei-Lei!” Percy said again, smirking smugly at me.

“Soggy Boy!” I snapped, unable to control my temper any longer.

His eye twitched, “Air Head!”

“Fish Breath!”

**_SPLASH_ **

I closed my eyes just as some random drink splashed on my face. Slowly I peeled one eye open and saw Percy’s widened ones along with the other campers around us, and glanced down at my now stained clothes from blue diet coke. Spitting out the sugary drink in my mouth, my face was deprived of emotion as I stared at him impassively.

“Uh…” Percy stammered out as he paled rapidly, “…sorry?”

I blinked stoically.

“I’M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU!!!” I yelled at the top of my lungs and tackled him out of his chair.

*******

My eye twitched as I scooped another Pegasus poop and put it in the cart, while Percy bathed the Pegasus who never stopped bowing at him. The punishment itself isn’t really _that_ bad, it’s the fact that I’ve been here for three hours and we only finished three stalls with four to go that makes it a torture. Also, the Pegasus won’t let me bathe them, therefore I have to scoop poop the entire time, and my patience was wearing thinner and thinner.

“Why am I even here?” I mumbled as I scooped another poop, “Scooping poop, I’d rather scoop ice cream.”

Percy glared at me, “Did you have to say that out loud?! You’re making lose my appetite!”

“Oh, shut up, Soggy Boy!” I grunted out as I scraped a rather dry poop off the ground, “You’re not the one scraping poop off the freaking ground. Don’t make me throw this crap on you.”

One of the Pegasus snorted in irritation since I insulted and threatened their “beloved” master.

“Uh, this one wants to stomp you in the head.” Percy translated hesitantly.

I rolled my eyes, “Oh great, you speak horse now.”

The angered Pegasus shoved me with his snout, almost landing me face-down on a particularly large pile of poop. Percy snickered while softly brushing the mane. Scowling, I started to scoop again when one of them brushed against my back gently. I turned and found a chestnut coloured Pegasus eyeing and pushed its white snout against my chest.

“This one likes you.” He said, clearly amazed.

I stroked its snout gently and grinned, “Hey there.”

Suddenly, the Pegasus shoved me hard, causing me to unwillingly hug its snout. And since my twelve-year-old body was light enough, it threw me on its back like a rag doll. It galloped outside and flew, I mean FUCKING FLEW!

“AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!” I screamed as it flew across camp and I fearfully held on its neck as tightly as I can.

Some of the campers stared at me with wide eyes while some simply glared since I kept screaming non-stop. Chiron galloped from the Big House and his eyes widened in horror when he saw me clutching onto some random Pegasus’s neck while it flew around like crazy. My eyes widened even more when it soared at high speeds straight towards the lake. It professionally spun around so fast that my fingers slipped and I fell to the lake face first.

“OH MY GOD!!!” I yelled as I desperately swung my arms around, trying to regain some of my balance, “I’M GONNA DIE!!!”

As the tip of my shoe touched the water, something lifted me up by the collar. I stopped flailing my arms like some stupid bird when I noticed the lake grew further and further away.

“What the hell?” I breathed out and glanced up.

That damned Pegasus grabbed my collar by its teeth and glided relaxingly in the air. My eye twitched as I scowled.

“You…” I growled.

It instantly folded its wings and shot towards the solid ground.

“SHIII-” I didn’t even bother finishing my curse since it threw me into a pile of haystack.

I grunted when my back landed into the pile, while the caramel coloured Pegasus landed gracefully next to me and observed with anticipation with its strangely emerald green eyes. I slowly rolled out of the stack and fell on the ground. Sighing in content when I felt the ground beneath me.

“Finally.” I mumbled and closed eyes, enjoying the feeling of the ground against my back.

The Pegasus nudged me with its snout as if wanting me to say something.

I glared half-heartedly and raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure you’re not one of Hermes’?”

It simply neighed in amusement.

“Loki.” I sat up, “Can I call you Loki?”

He neighed and rubbed its snout against my shoulder. I sighed but smiled as I patted him gently. I’ll take that as a yes then.

“LEVANT!!!”

I flinched when I heard a loud voice along with many footsteps coming my way. Before I could react, a blur of jet black hair tackled me to the ground, I grunted as my back hit the ground, again.

“Perce!” I wheezed out as Percy did his best to squeeze the life out of me. “Can’t breathe.”

“I thought you were dead!” He shouted right next to my ear, causing my ears to ring.

I gave up talking and simply patted his shoulder and the ground, the universal sign of ‘let go’.

“Percy!” Another voice came in, “You’re killing him! For Hades’ sake, he’s turning blue!”

A grunt slipped out when he tightened his death grip around me.

“I love blue.” He said stubbornly, “So, let Levant be blue!”

“I’m not a fucking smurf, you idiot!” I managed to elbow him in the gut, hard. Immediately I rolled away, gasping for air as Percy doubled over in pain.

“Hey, Annabeth’s right!” he said once he got over the pain, “You are blue!”

I scowled darkly at his dumb comment and let out a “Tsk” as I stood up wobblily. I froze when Chiron came into view, his eyes showed sympathy and disappointment, probably because I cursed a lot loudly when Loki kept doing his insane stunts in the air.

“I’m glad you’re safe.” He said before facing the Pegasus next to me with a disapproving frown, “That one is a trickster. I think it’s best to send him back to the wild.”

Loki whined and pushed my back, “N-No!” I spoke out, that came out louder than I thought, “Uh, I’ll take care of him. Sure, he’s a bit of a prankster but Loki’s a nice Pegasus, right?” I eyed him and he rapidly nodded with enthusiasm.

“Loki?” Chiron raised his eyebrow.

“His name.” I replied with a shrug, “He’s a trickster, right? So, I guess Loki is the best name for him. You know like the Norse god of mischief?”

Loki neighed and nodded again. Chiron pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed heavily. “I hope you know what you’re doing Levant.”

“He won’t prank anyone!” I blurted out and gave Loki a pointed look, who looked at me innocently, “I can vouch for that.”

“Fine.” He simply said and turned to the campers who still stared at me in awe. Some even ‘whispered’, saying that I’m amazing since I could keep up with Loki’s pranking nature. Chiron told the crowd to get back to whatever they were doing and eyed Percy, Annabeth and I expectantly.

“Come with me.” He trotted in a direction, “It’s time for archery.”

I followed him with the Pegasus jogging behind me. I halted and faced him, “In the stable Loki. And no kidnapping campers into the sky, got it?” I chided him like a parent scolding their child.

He whined and looked at me with his big green eyes, before slowly heading back to the stables like a defeated child.

“Wow, you really bonded with him.”

I almost jumped, spinning around in a blink of an eye, only to find Percy behind me.

“Don’t sneak up on me, Soggy Boy.” I hissed and stuffed my hands into my jean pockets as I turned to follow Chiron.

“Whatever Lei-Lei.” Percy grumbled and pushed his hands into his pockets before he ran to catch up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks for reading my story and I just want to say that new chapters will probably be posted once a week or maybe even more regularly *shrug*  
> Really appreciate any comments and people leaving kudos... and uh, that's about it. See you all next week! *awkward wave*


	9. Percy + Archery = Disaster

**-Archery Field-**

I snorted in amusement at Percy’s amazing fail in archery. His arrow went completely off course every single time and somehow hit an unsuspecting camper, who unfortunately passed by. Speaking of which, an arrow turned at exactly 180°, nearly hitting Chiron in the process. How is that possible? This completely defied the laws of Physics.

I sighed and focused on my own shooting. I carefully aimed and took a deep breath, holding for a few seconds, and I let go. A solid **_thud_** ringed the field and my jaw dropped.

A bullseye.

I tried again. This time, the arrow I just shot split the previous one and hit the same spot. Another bullseye. My lips twitched upwards as I repeatedly split arrow after arrow, bullseye after bullseye.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Percy glaring in jealousy and he quickly grabbed an arrow and hurled it towards the target. However, not even two seconds midair, it sharply turned 180° again, heading straight to my face. My eyes widened and hastily dodged before the arrow flew only an inch above my head and hit a tree behind me.

“Honestly?” I asked in disbelief, “How is that even possible?!”

Chiron pinched his nose and sighed, “Well, it is certainly possible if Percy’s the one with the bow.”

“Maybe we should put the target behind him.” I suggested as I let another arrow soar across the field, landing in the middle of another target with a solid **_thud_** , “Or let Percy shoot backwards.”

The raven-haired boy smacked me with his bow, “Shut up!”

I rubbed my now sore head as I glared murderously, “I am _trying_ to help you. Besides, just admit it, Soggy Boy. You’re terrible at archery.”

His eye twitched and instantly shot an arrow at me in annoyance, and of course, the arrow changed its course and Chiron flinched when it found its mark in his butt. Percy cringed while my body shook uncontrollably.

“Percy,” Chiron spoke in a sickly calm tone after a moment of anticipating silence, pulling the arrow out of his ass, “I would like you to stop shooting please, and preferably never shoot an arrow again.”

With that, I burst into laughter like a mad man. I’m pretty sure the entire camp could hear me.

*******

I stood in front of the hearth with a big, juicy meat on my plate and stared at the fire with my eyebrows raised. Do I really have to throw this delicious-looking meat into the fire just to satisfy the gods? I mean they are immortal, and can certainly live long enough without food, right? Besides, they have ambrosia and nectar, there’s no need to waste food like this. Also burning food releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which can lead to global warming. Therefore, this action doesn’t contribute many positives…

I flinched when a low rumbling came from the sky and Chiron sent me accusing looks. I hurriedly tossed the meat into the fire before realizing that I threw it along with the plate.

“Oops.” I cringed before rubbing the back of my head nervously, “Uh, I guess… that’s for you dad. Hope you enjoy it along with the plate and, uh, when you finished, can you please return the plate to me? I’m sure Chiron will be glad if you could, uh, I mean the camp. Thanks.” I smiled sheepishly as I finished my ‘prayer’.

I could hear some kids snickering behind me and some failed miserably to hold back their laughter. I scrambled back to the Hermes table where Luke and Percy were having an internal earthquake, their faces were as red as the strawberries in front of them. When I sat down, they burst out laughing with Luke hitting me in the back and Percy face-planted on the table as he held his stomach.

“That was terrific!” Luke cackled out, “Never in my life I’ve seen someone sacrificing a _plate_ to the gods!”

My ears turned pink as I grumbled, “Shut up!”

“You’re hilarious Lei-Lei!” Percy exclaimed with teary eyes and took a shaky, deep breath, “I’m sure your dad is _extremely_ pleased with that.”

My eye twitched and smacked them both in the head. Mr. D was glaring daggers at us, but I could spot a glint of amusement in his eyes. I filled a new plate with food and started eating, trying to ignore the entertained looks from the other campers.

“So much for staying low.” I murmured under my breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So there's another update probably around next week. Thanks for the kudos and comments. Really appreciate it.   
> See you all next time!


	10. Capture the Flag... Yay

After dinner finally ended, some of the nymphs cleaned the tables while Chiron announced that tonight was Capture the Flag. So basically, it’s normal Capture the Flag. The only difference is that it’s located in a thick forest and we’re using real weapons instead of fake ones. Fun!

Luke quickly grabbed Percy and I by the arm and dragged us to the armoury. He searched for something in a chest filled with weapons and tossed a sword to an unsuspecting Percy, who caught it hastily. Within seconds, he threw a bow and a quiver full of arrows at me. Somehow I was able to catch the bow, but I missed the quiver completely and the arrows splattered on the floor.

A shield flew across the air to Percy, being a seaweed brain, he ducked, successfully avoided the flying shield… and it hit the back of my skull while I was still picking up the arrows on the floor.

“Ow!” I yelped in pain, rubbing my head. I could feel a bruise forming, “What the hell?!”

Luke halted his rummage, glancing at me and shrugged, “Sorry.”

“At least sound sorry, asshole!” I growled and threw the shield back to Percy. It hit his nose slightly and my lips twitched in satisfaction.

“Ha! Found it!” He exclaimed as he stood up. In his hands were two small suspiciously looking jars with a soft green glow.

He tucked one in his pocket and tossed the other to me.

“What is this?” I questioned, instantly regretting it when I saw the glint in his blue eyes.

“Just keep it safe.” He responded vaguely, “Use it when the time’s right.”

Before I could further examine the jar, he yanked Percy and I back to the Hermes’ Cabin. Most of the campers were already prepped for the game. Equipped with a shield, a sword, armour, and a helmet with blue feathers perched on top. They looked like soldiers ready for war instead of kids at friendly game. Luke chucked me some standard armour, which I managed to wear with some help from a camper. I slung the quiver over my shoulder securely and held the bow in my left hand.

“Hey!”

I turned only to see Percy buried under his armour and the shield strapped on his left arm seemed too heavy for his scrawny built.

“The armour looks like it’s eating you alive,” I commented dryly, only to receive the end of his glare.

“I can’t run in this!” he complained and huffed, “It’s too freaking heavy!”

I could feel my lips tugged upwards slightly as I patted his oversized helmet, “Bear with it Perce.”

He opened his mouth to retort when another voice cut in from behind, “Your armour looks like it’s eating you alive.”

From the corner of my eye, I could see Annabeth staring at Percy. She seemed perfectly comfortable in her own armour and her hair was tied back in a ponytail. Her calculating grey eyes studied me carefully before they landed on my pockets where I kept my pens.

“Luke said you’re a dual wielder, and Chiron said you’re excellent in archery.” She stated, “I want you two on border patrol.” Pointing at the both of us.

“But I want to be in the front line!” Percy protested.

“You can barely run in that.” Annabeth deadpanned, and I choked in laughter.

“You and Levant will be stationed near the river.” She explained, ignoring Percy’s pout, “That river is the border. If a team crosses the river with the other team’s flag, they win. Your job is to stop the other team from crossing the river, got it?”

I simply nodded, since I’m too lazy to run around with a horde of angry campers hot on my tail. She gave us a pleased smile and turned around. I followed silently while Percy trailed behind, cursing like there’s no tomorrow. The blonde ordered us to stay near the river when we arrived and left us alone. Percy sat with his feet crossed on the ground while I climbed some random tree, perching on a sturdy branch but high enough to see the entire clearing and the river.

“What are you doing?” he asked, tilting his head up.

“Scouting.” I responded plainly, “I’m your backup Soggy Boy.”

Percy rolled his eyes and dipped his feet in the river. My eyes darted around the clearing. Clear. Yawning, I decided to take a small nap on the branch, completely oblivious to the narrowed brown eyes watching our every move.

**15 minutes later**

I absentmindedly wiped the drool from the corner of my mouth and groggily opened my eyes. I could hear fighting below so I glanced down, only to find Percy getting cornered by a few red team members along with Clarisse. I crouched down on the branch as he stood in the river, soaked from head to toe with his gravity-defying hair. There was faint smoke drifting of his clothes. My eyes widened when I saw the visible electricity running through the bulky girl’s spear.

“Is that even allowed?” I mumbled under my breath and notched an arrow. To be honest, this is like a video game with the zoomed in eyesight when you aim, except for the part that this is very, _very_ real.

The arrow flew through the air as silently as possible and found its mark on a girl’s arm. She let out a scream as she clutched her now wounded arm, dropping her weapon in the process. Clarisse spun around and found her sister on her knee with an arrow stuck deep in her arm.

“Who did that?!” She yelled furiously.

Another arrow was shot at her brother’s shoulder next to her, earning a grunt in pain and his weapon on the ground.

She roared out, “Come out here, you sneaky bastard!”

Seizing the distraction, Percy tackled her to the river and swung his heavy sword. She panicked slightly but blocked it with her own spear while I continued to distract her siblings. She tried to stab him and he dodged, narrowly. The spear grazed his arm and he flinched when the electricity ran through his body. The boy shook it off and slashed the annoying spear, snapping it in half.

She cursed loudly as he kicked her chest, knocking her to the ground and she stared at Percy with disbelief written all over her face. Boisterous cries and heavy footsteps came behind him, and Luke sprinted in full speed with the red team’s flag in his firm grip.

“It’s a trick!” Clarisse shouted and charged at Luke with her siblings behind her.

I leapt down from the branch and landed right behind her. I must have miscalculated my drop because when she turned around, I was only an inch from her face and our nose almost touched. My face heated up from the unexpected _very_ close gap between us and my feet were frozen in my shoes. So, I did the first thing that popped up in my ADHD brain.

I smiled weakly, “Hi.”

Clarisse blushed madly and quickly punched me. I jumped back and aimed an arrow at her face in warning. Her eyes blazed with rage.

“You!” she screamed at me, “You asshole!”

I winced at the volume, “I’m right in front of you. No need to shout.” I scold her with a hint of annoyance before a smirk made its way on my face, “And by the way, language.”

She cursed again as she watched Luke cross the river helplessly.

We won.

Clarisse shoved me away and stormed back to her team.

“Where were you?!” Percy screamed at my face causing me to wince again. My eardrums were definitely ringing by now, “Clarisse was beating me up and you didn’t even lift a _finger_ to help me!”

“I may or may not have fallen asleep.” I grinned sheepishly.

He face-palmed, “Seriously?”

“Well at least we won, right?” I shrugged nonchalantly.

Percy grumbled out, “How dare she used us as bait?! That sneaky little-”

A low animalistic growl rumbled through the forest. I froze in place when I recalled an important part of the timeline. I yelled at the ignorant Percy when a huge hellhound jumped out from a nearby bush. It swatted me away with its gigantic paw and I cried in pain when my back slammed into a tree. Gritting my teeth, I watched the hound clawed my friend’s back, leaving a wound and his clothes were stained red.

I threw away my bow and clicked my black pen. A familiar pitch black sword formed in my clenched fist and I dashed towards it, ignoring Chiron’s shouts of protest. I adjusted my tight grip on the sword as I readied myself.

“HEY!”

The hound spun its head with crazed ruby eyes and I immediately stabbed it in the back until the hilt was only visible. It howled in pain and disintegrated into a pile of gold dust, showering Percy who still lied on his stomach with blood gushing from the wound. I barely registered the slight energy boost I got from killing the hound as I darted to his side.

“Oh god.” I breathed out with wide eyes when I could finally see how serious the wound was. Judging from the pool of blood and his rapidly paling skin, he lost way too much blood… Way too state the obvious, idiot.

Percy weakly grimaced and blinked slowly, “What… just…” he managed to wheeze out.

“Come on.” I said with surprising calmness and picked him up cautiously, ignoring the blood staining my clothes.

I could feel my adrenaline slipping but I kept walking carefully to the river with Percy leaning his weight on me. When my feet reached the water, I gently settled him in the cool liquid and stared in astonishment as the water started to heal him. His wound closed up and disappeared completely without leaving a single scar, only the large tear on his armour and clothes showed he was once injured.

My eyes widened when I saw a trident symbol in a greenish blue glow hovering above Percy’s head.

“All hail Perseus Jackson,” Chiron announced behind me and bowed along with the campers, “son of Poseidon, Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses and God of the sea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So that's another chapter done. The next update will be around next week-ish. Again thanks for the kudos and comments. See ya next time! *grinning with a wave*


	11. I Found Out My Heritage

My eye twitched as Percy yanked me to the big house at six in the morning. _SIX!!!_ Who the hell wakes up at six except the elderly?! And maybe for school, but it’s summer vacation! I could be lying in bed until noon without getting into trouble. But Percy _had_ to wake me up this freaking early, especially when he knows I’m not a morning person. Ugh…

It’s almost been a week since Poseidon claimed him and one week of Percy’s consistent brooding. After Friday’s Capture the Flag, he moved to Cabin 3 and became a gloomy loner, snapping at almost everything. I lost track of how many times I had to stop him and Clarisse from biting each other’s heads off. His mood worsened thanks to the campers who avoided him like a plague.

I accidentally tripped on the porch, crashing into Percy and sent us tumbling on the wooden floor, with me on top and Percy face down.

Percy grunted out, “You’re heavy!”

“And you’re not exactly comfortable to land on.” I grumbled as I pushed myself up and gave him a hand.

He asked me in puzzlement, “How did you even trip?”

“With terrible balance.” I let out a yawn, “So why are you bringing me with you again?”

“You weren’t even listening, were you?” He deadpanned, only to sigh when he saw my blank stare, “Chiron and Mr. D want to see me and having you by my side calms me down a bit.”

My gaze softened, “Don’t worry about it. You’ll be fine.”

I followed Percy but when my foot stepped into the big house, the atmosphere surrounding me was extremely tense. I was about to turn back when a pair of strong hands grabbed my shoulders and steered me to a chair, right next to Mr. D. I glanced up only to see Chiron giving me warning looks.

I gulped.

I completely forgot that when I half-carried Percy to the river, it probably looked like I knew that the water would heal him. And, I did it right before Poseidon claimed him, which didn’t help my case at all. Afterwards, I spent most of my time avoiding Chiron and Mr. D since I didn’t want to explain the entire thing to them… Also, it’s because I couldn’t be bothered.

“I want you to stay here after we’re done with Percy, Levant.” Chiron simply said and stood next to me, officially caging me between him and Mr. D. Just great.

Percy stared at them in confusion, “So, uh, what is it?”

The residential god scoffed, “What do you think boy? You, duh.”

“Huh?” He glanced at Mr. D, “About what?”

“You remember that day,” Chiron started, “when a Fury attacked you and Levant.”

“Oh, that.” Percy looked down gloomily, “She accused me of stealing something.”

I avoided their eyes as Chiron continued, “She tried to kill you because Hades suspects you have something. Something powerful.”

“Like what?” Gods, he looked like a lost puppy right now.

Surprisingly, Mr. D answered him, “Zeus’s Master Bolt.” He stared at Percy with boredom written on his face, “You stole it, right?”

Percy’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped, “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”

I cut in before he could get even more confused, “But that’s insane! He only knew about the gods’ existence like two weeks ago.”

The god glared dangerously at me, “Shut up boy! We’ll deal with you after this!”

I gulped and quickly glanced down at my lap, letting a murmur “Sorry.”

“But I didn’t steal anything!” Percy defended himself.

“Well, Zeus and Hades both suspect you.” Mr. D stated lazily, “So, maybe you did steal it, boy.”

My eye twitched in annoyance at this stupid accusation and spoke up before I could stop myself, “But why is Hades so interested in Zeus’s Master Bolt? And doesn’t Hades hate Poseidon? So why on Earth are they working together now?”

I could feel their eyes on me. “That’s…” Chiron seemed lost in thought as he stared at me.

“Or maybe Hades knew Poseidon’s got the Master Bolt and wanted it for himself, you know, to be the leader since he’s the eldest son of Kronos, so I guess he’s just trying to regain his birthright,” I rambled uncomfortably, since they were all staring at me, “B-but that’s just a theory.”

Chiron studied me closely, unnerving me, “That may be the case. The three of them always fight, barely get along at all.” He paused for a moment, “As you said, Levant, I assumed Hades since he is the oldest brother. He might think he should be the one who leads the gods, not staying in the underworld, completely isolated from the others. He didn’t even get a throne in Olympus.”

Percy argued, “But I didn’t steal it!”

“The gods are almost at war, Percy.” The centaur said sternly, “Zeus has declared war to your father, and there’s only one way to make sure that won’t happen.”

He paled drastically, “Please don’t tell me I have to return the stupid bolt.”

Thunder rumbled in the distance and Chiron gave Percy a warning look, “We don’t use the S-word to describe the bolt.”

He huffed and crossed his arms, “So what now?”

Chiron’s tail twitched, “You have to meet the Oracle to get a prophecy for the quest.”

I grimaced at this. According to the book, the Oracle is a dead mummy. A freaking dead mummy. If I saw it, I’d most likely run the other way as fast as possible. I pity Percy right now.

“A prophecy?” Percy raised his eyebrows, “Seriously?”

“Unless you want to go in blind.” Mr. D rolled his eyes, “Well if you died in your quest, it’ll be great. Losing a brat helps my mood, a lot.”

Percy glared at the wine god, “Fine, where do I meet this oracle anyway?”

“In the attic.” Chiron answered.

“Can I bring Levant?” He asked and I tensed in my seat. A shiver ran through my spine at the thought about meeting the creepy mummy.

I sent an SOS look at Chiron who only stared at me with an unreadable expression as if waiting my reaction.

“I want you to go alone, Percy.” Chiron spoke slowly, his eyes never left me, “We’d like to talk to Levant, privately.”

“But-”

“ _Alone_.” The ancient trainer insisted sternly and Percy pouted.

He stood up before smiling sheepishly, “Where again?”

“The attic.” Chiron sighed at his short-term memory. “Just up the stairs in the back.”

Percy quickly walked to the direction mentioned, leaving me here with the centaur and a bored god. When he disappeared upstairs completely, he cleared his throat and Mr. D stared at me with a hint of interest, which somehow sent a chill down my spine.

Chiron asked me casually, “So, Levant do you have anything you’d like to share with us.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I instantly responded as I avoided his wise ancient eyes.

“You knew the water was going to heal Percy.” He stated, straight to the point, “You knew I am a centaur and Mr. D a god. Percy also said you managed to hold back the Minotaur without proper training.” He gazed deep into my blue eyes, “Almost as if you knew all of this before it even happened.”

I could feel my hands getting sweatier. How the hell am I going to explain this? There’s no way I’ll say, ‘Oh, I just read you in a book, and suddenly died in a plane crash, and got reborn here.’

“Spit it out, boy.” Mr. D demanded, his patience was getting thinner.

“I-I-I just… The truth is,” I blinked, “I have no idea.”

“What?”

I looked at Chiron in the eyes and started lying through my teeth, “I just have this feeling. Like something bad is going to happen. Can’t really explain it.”

“You called me Chiron that day.”

“I heard Grover mumble in his sleep, something like Chiron, Chiron.” That’s definitely a lie, he only mumbles about enchiladas. “So, I just took a wild guess that Chiron is you.”

“Are you sure your mother isn’t a goddess?” Mr. D questioned.

I scratched my head, “I’m pretty sure she’s mortal.”

“The truth, Levant!” Chiron suddenly declared, “You just lied to me! I can see it in your eyes!”

My stomach tightened in knots, “I-I-”

“Also, the Fury called you young master.” The god piped in calmly, but his aura spoke otherwise, “Care to explain that?”

Before I could respond, something glowed above me and my head snapped up. A golden lyre symbol shone brightly above me - Apollo. However, within seconds another symbol appeared, and my eyes widened in disbelief.

Mr. D whispered after a moment of silence, “How can a demigod have two gods as his father?!”

“This doesn’t make sense!” Chiron cried out as he shook his head. “He doesn’t resemble him at all!”

“Oh shit.” I mumbled and sighed exasperatedly. Why do the Fates hate me?

“Who the hell are you?” The god asked, his voice laced with something I couldn’t catch, “You… you…”

“This will make things even more complicated.” Chiron sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“So, uh…” I coughed at the heavy atmosphere in the room, “So, who’s my father? The real one?”

“It’s hard to say,” Chiron replied, “It has to between the two of them.”

I stayed silent as I processed this information. How can I be the son of two gods? It doesn’t make sense. An image of the two gods doing something M rated popped up in my head, and I immediately cast it into the deepest part of my mind. I shuddered at that traumatizing thought. There’s no way that’s-

“HADES IS YOUR FATHER?!”

*******

I slammed my head against the table when I heard that voice, and mentally sighed. Why do the Fates hate me?

“What the hell Levant?!”

“It could also be Apollo, Soggy Boy.” I groaned, my head still on the table, “His symbol was right next to it.”

“But, still,” Percy rushed to my side, “Your father…”

Thunder rumbled near the camp. I really hope that wasn’t Zeus throwing a stupid tantrum about this. Oh shit. This is going to kill me right now, no questions asked.

“Percy, please wait outside.” Chiron said urgently, “We still have a lot of things to discuss with Levant.”

He protested, “But he’s my best friend! I have a right to know what’s going on here!”

“Percy, please.” I pleaded tiredly, weariness was catching up to me with everything that had happened, “I’ll explain everything afterwards, alright?”

He looked like a dejected puppy as he stared at me in bewilderment. Percy huffed and walked to the front porch, leaving me alone with them again.

“Happy now?” I drawled sarcastically. My blue eyes were impassive when I lifted my head from the table, “I guess that answered all of your questions.”

Chiron gasped and grabbed my shoulders tightly, He whispered, as if he was scared of my answer, “Please don’t tell me that you can see the future.”

My eyes widened and instantly avoided his eyes, I stuttered, “I-I,” There’s obviously no way out of this mess. Even though I tried so hard not to get involved, the Fates clearly begged the differ.

“Answer me!” He demanded, my shoulders were being shaken violently.

“I don’t know, maybe?” I replied shakily. It sounded more like a question than an answer.

It is not pleasant when two powerful entities fighting over to claim as their son. One being the Lord of the Underworld, the other the god of the sun. Two polar opposites, in both domains and personalities. I paled drastically as a thought ran through my mind. What if Hades had a hand in hauling my soul into this completely deranged world?

“Levant,” The centaur frantically urged, “Never speak anything about this conversation to anyone. Swear it on the River Styx.”

“W-What-”

“You are dangerous,” He stated and my stomach clenched, “To us and our enemies, especially with that… _ability_ of yours. Promise me that you’ll stay loyal to us.”

I paled as I swore nervously. This is so fucked up. “I-I swear on the River Styx that I won’t tell anyone about my ability and being claimed by Hades.”

“And?”

I hesitated before declaring in both bravery and stupidity, “I am loyal to those precious to me, not entities I just truly knew existed a week ago. If they want my loyalty, they will earn it themselves, not through their titles or power.”

Mr. D’s eyes glowed purple furiously, “ _You dare!_ ”

I gulped as I watched grape vines started to grow and wrap around my body with widened eyes, forcing me to look at him head on. Images of madness soared through my mind as fear spread through my chest. That’s when I realized I screwed up big time…

I just pissed off a god.

“Just say it, Levant!” Chiron cried in panic as the vines began to tighten dangerously by the second, “Don’t be stubborn!”

A part of me wanted to yell that it’s my right to speak my mind, but the more logical part of my brain screamed repeatedly that I’ll actually die if I don’t… Logical part wins.

“I-I swear on the Styx that I’ll s-stay loyal to the g-gods.” I wheezed out as a vine wrapped around my throat tightly. The vines released me and slipped back into the cracks on the ground, and I coughed before murmuring inaudibly, “As long as they won’t betray me and those precious to me.” Luckily, they didn’t hear me and the sky rumbled again, sealing the oath.

Chiron forced a smile, “Thank you, Levant.”

“What about Percy?” I questioned, worried about his safety.

“I’ll handle it.” He responded, ruffling my short brown locks reassuringly, which didn’t calm me one bit. Now I know that the gods don’t even blink when strangling a twelve-year-old who simply spoke his mind. “Now pack your belongings. I’ll escort you to the Apollo cabin.”

I sighed, nodding stoically and left the big house without another word.

This is really, really bad. Even though I have no qualms against Hades, his claim over me isn’t exactly doing me any favours. All of this is driving me insane, and I’m not even the freaking main character here, Percy is. But then again, when we met all those years ago, I knew I sealed my fate. My arrival in this world is changing everything.

I kept on walking, ignoring Percy’s pleas to stop and talk to him, as silent fury clouded my eyes. Completely unaware that someone else was eavesdropping the entire time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks for sticking with me and Levant in this crazy adventure. Now that we know of Levant's heritage, we can finally have some fun hehehe... Anyways, again thanks for the lovely kudos and I really appreciate the comments. Keep them coming! I'll update around next week so see you all next time!


	12. My Brothers are Not Mentally Stable

I stood nervously in front of the golden cabin with my backpack slugged over my shoulder. Chiron had already knocked the door and we were waiting for someone to answer. Drizzles of rain started to fall in camp which is very rare, since the weather is always controlled here. Maybe it’s because Zeus is furious that Hades claimed me? But don’t forget, Apollo claimed me too. So, what the hell dude?

My thoughts were interrupted when the door opened, revealing a teen with blonde hair, sun-kissed skin and sky-blue eyes. I caught a glimpse inside and all the kids are blonde. Well, that’s just great. My hair is brown, and their skin is tanner than mine. The only resemblance are the eyes, and mine are darker. So yeah… There’s no way I can lay low now.

“Ah, Lee.” Chiron smiled warmly when he saw the boy, “I brought you another camper.”

“The guy who cursed like a sailor when a Pegasus flew wildly with him on its back?” Lee stared at me.

I sweat dropped and frowned, “Dude! Rude much?” Even though I calmed down significantly since the Big House, I’m still not in the best mood.

“Apollo claimed him when we had a discussion in the Big House.” Chiron quickly cut in, sensing my annoyance at the boy in front of me.

Lee’s eyebrows raised in surprise, “W-What?! But he doesn’t resemble any of us!”

“Well, your dad just claimed me.” I rolled my eyes, “Do you really want to question him about this? Trust me, you’re not the only one.” I mumbled the last part.

Chiron cleared his throat, “Mr. D and Percy witnessed it as well. There is no mistake. He is a son of Apollo.”

“Okay then…” The boy drawled out and opened the door wider. He grinned, “Welcome home brother.”

I stepped on the golden floor as he and the centaur exchanged a few words before closing the door. He faced me and clapped loudly.

“Alright everyone!” Lee called out and I winced since he was yelling right next to me, “We’ve got a new brother, Levant…”

“Ral.” I informed them as I rubbed my left ear, “Levant Ral.”

Murmurs started after Lee introduced me to the rest of the Apollo kids.

“But his hair is brown, not blonde.”

“Yeah, and he’s paler than us.”

“His eyes are darker.”

“Are you sure he’s a son of Apollo?”

I cut in since this was giving me a headache, “Chiron and Mr. D were there when your dad claimed me. Want to argue? Go right ahead.”

“Well… his archery is amazing.” One of them stated.

“And that stunt he did when he spared with Luke the other week! So awesome!”

“And he managed to beat a Minotaur!”

“And tame that trickster Pegasus!”

“And Clarisse too!”

I mentally facepalmed at the last remark, praying that Clarisse didn’t and would never hear that. I do not need any more shit happening to me, again.

“I think his awesomeness is right on the mark,” another started, “because our father is awesome.”

My jaw dropped. Seriously? I mean are they freaking serious?! They accept me as their brother just because I’m _awesome_? I blinked when all of them crowded me and began to question me at the same time.

“Okay, okay guys! Stop it!” Lee tried to pry his siblings away from my frozen state. “Don’t overwhelm him!”

Only then I realized that my jaw was still on the ground. Swiftly I shut my mouth since my jaw was starting to hurt and the ground is made of freezing gold. Like seriously, how did they get all this gold?! …They didn’t rob a bank, right?

“…So, you sleep right next to Michael. And…”

I barely listened to Lee as I tried to absorb all this sparkle around me, but at least it wasn’t packed like Cabin 11.

“So, any questions?” He asked me, finishing his explanation.

I blinked in confusion, “Huh?”

Lee face-palmed, “Were you even listening to what I just said?”

“Uh… what?”

“What, what?”

“Uh, what, what, what?” I stared at him with furrowed eyebrows.

He glared at me “What, what?!”

“What, what, what, what?!” I shot back, completely lost. Is he crazy?

“Okay, enough!” Michael cut in and tried to hold Lee back who was about to tear my head off, “Lee, he’s only teasing you. You did hear that Levant is quite mischievous, right?”

Lee questioned as he calmed down, “You sure you’re not Hermes’ kid?”

“Do I have a mischievous look plastered on my face?” I raised my eyebrow. I truly had no idea why he was asking me that.

“Do you always answer a question with a question?” He asked in annoyance.

“Do you?” My lips twitched upwards as I started to get the game.

He hissed, “Stop it, will you?!”

“How about no?” I smirked in amusement.

“AH! LET ME RIP HIS FUCKING HEAD OFF!” Lee screamed and charged at me, only to be stopped.

I sniggered when I heard Lee swore, but coughed when Michael sent me a glare.

“You should really have your DNA checked.” he remarked.

“Do gods even have DNA?” I questioned, genuinely curious.

His eye twitched and let go of Lee, who immediately tackled me to the cold, hard floor.

“WHAT THE HELL, MICHAEL?!” I cried out as Lee tried to scratch my face, “GET HIM OFF ME!”

Michael simply grinned cheekily, “Only if you stop cursing.”

“OI! YOU’RE NOT A FUCKING CAT, LEE!!” I howled when he tried to scratch my eyes off, “GET YOUR FUCKING FINGERS OFF ME, YOU CRAZY SON OF A BITCH!”

“Language Levant⁓” Michael sang out while his siblings stared at me.

“Wow, I’ve never seen Lee this outraged before.”

“Levant swears like an Ares kid.”

“Is he really our brother?”

“DON’T MAKE ME FUCKING KILL YOU, LEE!!!” I barked when his nails scratched my eyebrow.

The door suddenly swung open, revealing Luke, Annabeth and Chiron. Lee froze in place as I gaped like a fish out of the water. Well, our position was… you know, rather… suggesting? With Lee leaning on top of me, our nose almost touched, our clothes were dishevelled and I was holding both of Lee’s wrists.

Annabeth’s face was crimson, Luke’s jaw went straight to Hades, while Chiron paled deadly white.

“I never thought…” Chiron looked like he was about to faint, “You are into… that way too.”

“NO WAY!” “HELL NO!” We quickly jumped apart.

Luke simply whistled, “Wow Levant, you guys really hit it off huh?”

“Shut the fuck up, Lucy.” I growled.

He grinned, “Language, Lei-Lei.”

“Don’t call me that!” I snapped. From the corner of my eye, I could see Lee’s body shaking as he bit his lower lip with a pink face.

I grimaced, “Oh, please don’t tell me you’re getting turned on over this.”

Lee instantly punched me in the face, hard, and dusted some imaginary dust off his T-shirt. He smiled at the gawking trio and said calmly, “It’s just a little misunderstanding.”

“Hell yeah!” I protested while cradling my bruised face, “He tried to claw my eyes out!”

“And why were you trying to gauge Levant’s eyes out?” Chiron asked and rubbed his forehead, fearing the answer.

“Oh, that.” He simply shrugged, “Levant was just being an asshole.”

*******

**Third person POV:**

Chiron had a sudden urge to bang his head against the wall as Levant’s foul language was starting to spread across camp, which was terrible news. But internally, he was relieved that the boy was himself again. He was worried that he might withdraw from others after their rather intense conversation because of his impassive response when dismissed. Then again, he carried an enormous burden, being able to see the future and had a fifty percent chance of being a child of Hades.

“You’re the one who can’t handle a few jokes, Golden Boy.”

He snapped back to reality only to see Levant staring blankly at Lee with a raised eyebrow. Lee was practically fuming as he invaded the brunet’s personal space. Chiron gave Annabeth and Luke pleading looks whilst the room started to fill with Levant’s warning, dangerous aura.

They quickly nodded, Luke stepped between them and Annabeth held Levant from behind. Luke’s nose almost touched Levant’s and he froze immediately, his face flushed crimson. Thanks to his distraction, the duo successfully separated the two half-brothers.

“Wha-” he blinked, looking at Luke in horror, “What the fuck?!”

Chiron and Annabeth flinched as the boy cursed loudly. In that moment, the blonde girl wished that she could get a penny every time he swore, she could easily be a millionaire.

“Are you trying to steal my first kiss?!”

She almost judo-flipped him to the floor, there was no way Luke would kiss him. However, her mind wandered to some forbidden stuff. She quickly banished those thoughts to the darkest part of her mind and shook her head, accidentally brushing her nose against his soft brown locks and caught a sniff of his scent. She instantaneously blushed madly.

“Hey Annabeth, are you blushing?” Luke questioned with a smirk.

Levant glanced back in confusion at Annabeth who glared at Luke and quickly shook her head.

“N-No way!” she denied and aimed her glare at the boy in front of her, “Especially not over him!”

Levant’s pure blue eyes widened but stayed silent, scared for his life right now. He always kept one thing in mind, hell hath no fury to a woman’s scorn.

“I didn’t say anything about Levant.”

Annabeth instantly pushed the brunet away and punched Levant in the head as he yelped in pain and stared at her in bewilderment and a hint of fear. She simply glared daggers at him and he sighed dejectedly. Luke sniggered at the interaction.

Chiron sighed exasperatedly, “You really need to stop cursing, Levant.”

Levant smiled sheepishly and shrugged, “Sorry.”

“Or do you want me to charge you a dollar each time you curse?”

He paled and stood a bit straighter, “No sir!”

The centaur sweat-dropped, “Alright then, you’d better clean up. Dinner is in ten minutes and you don’t want to be late.”

After that Chiron trotted back to the Big House with Luke and Annabeth trailing behind him, leaving the two brothers standing awkwardly surrounded by their siblings.

*******

**Levant’s POV:**

I glanced at Percy who seemed unsettled in his own table. I wanted to accompany him but Mr. D might turn me into a grape, especially when we weren’t exactly in good terms. I played with my food absentmindedly as I gazed into the hearth. The warm sparks and gentle ambers floated in the air gave out a sense of safety and home. Completely tuning myself away from the chatter around me as I got lost into the orange flames. Before I knew it, one of my siblings nudged me to give an offering and I stood in front of the fire.

Carefully I tossed a bunch of ripped grapes into the hearth and murmured quietly, “To my father, both of them.”

I sat down in my seat and felt eyes bored on me. I looked up and see a pair of sea-green eyes staring at me, clearly distressed. He broke eye contact when Grover sat next to him and discussed seriously. My stomach dropped slightly before I mentally chided myself, they could just be talking about their upcoming quest. Percy will go with Annabeth and Grover. I’ll stay here in camp and keep tabs on Luke, staying away from the main plot.

It’s better that way.

I almost flinched when the horn was blown, signaling that dinner was over and we had to go to the amphitheater. I speed-walked and quickly slipped into the seat next to Percy when I arrived, who jumped in surprise. I noticed that he sat in the back, quite far from the other campers.

“Hi Levant.” He greeted solemnly.

“Hey Perce.” My eyes were fixed to the fire in the center, “So, the prophecy. Did it help?”

He fidgeted slightly, “I’ll go to Los Angeles tomorrow, to Hades’ realm.”

I tensed but kept my voice calm, “Really?”

“Yeah, and I have to bring two others with me. It also said that one of my friends will betray me.”

My insides clenched when I felt his eyes on me. “I hope it’s not you, Levant.” He continued dejectedly, “I mean, Hades is…”

I snapped, “Just because he might be, doesn’t mean I would betray you. Since when did he actually betrayed Olympus? Never.” I am getting tired of this prejudice against Hades. So what if his domain isn’t popular, that doesn’t mean he’s going to betray them. What a bunch of hypocrites!

“Percy…” I finally faced him, “You know I won’t betray you, right?”

“I know that! But I-I don’t know Levi. It’s just, I’m so confused. I mean, Hades got the bolt and you’re…”

I internally sighed. He’ll find out eventually.

“Apollo claimed me too.” I reminded him, again, “There’s a 50 percent chance I’m his kid.”

He was silent for a moment before he started, “Look, I actually wanted you to come with me. I want to prove Chiron that you’re on our side. Maybe when we meet Hades, he’ll explain everything. But he refused. He said that if I bring you there, Hades will somehow convince you to join him and destroy Olympus. Especially since demigods aren’t bounded by the Ancient Laws.”

I couldn’t help but scoff out loud at this ridiculous theory. Why the hell would I want to destroy Olympus? I don’t blame them for my arrival here, even though I wanted to kick their sorry asses to see reason and simple logic.

“Trust me, okay?” I gripped his shoulder, “I’ll stay here and convince them that I’m on their side.” Flashing him a lopsided smile, “I won’t betray you, or let anything bad happen to you. I promise.”

“Thank you.” Percy smiled in relief, laughing slightly, “And about that ‘anything bad happen to me’, how can you do that when you’re not coming with me on the quest?”

I sweat-dropped, “Seriously? That’s all you heard from what I just said? You’re such a seaweed brain!”

“Hey!” he smacked me, “I’m just curious, Lei-Lei!”

“I can ask your quest mate to do that for me, Soggy Boy!”

“I don’t need your help! I can take care of myself!”

“Oh, really?” I snorted, “You can’t even cook without destroying the kitchen! You’re way too impulsive for your own good! And your temper and mouth add fuel to the flame!”

“The fuck?!” Percy hissed, “I’m not that hopeless!”

“The fuck to you dude!” I jeered back, “Just admit it! You’re hopeless without me!”

“Levant, that would be 2 dollars.” A voice spoke behind me.

I jumped and whipped around only to gulp when I saw Chiron, with a _swear jar_? What the fuck?! When did he get one of those? It’s even labelled **LEVANT’S SWEAR JAR** in bold letters!

I blinked and looked at the centaur who held the jar right under my nose. Grumbling, I rummaged my pockets before I stopped. Did he just say 2 dollars?

“Why do I have to pay 2 dollars?” I questioned, “I only cursed once, the other was Percy.”

“That’s on you since you’re the one who started it.”

“The f-I mean darn it.” I scowled as I stuffed 2 dollars into the jar.

After that Chiron trotted back to the Big House and I glared at Percy who grinned mischievously.

“You owe me a dollar, Soggy Boy!” I hissed menacingly.

He simply grinned and stroke his imaginary beard, “Well, I think I have a new way to threaten you.”

“Do that and you’ll be walking around with an arrow sticking out of your head.”

He laughed, “Yeah, yeah whatever.”

“By the way, who are your quest mates?” Even though I knew the answer, I needed to confirm that I haven’t changed anything major in the plot.

“Annabeth and Grover.” He answered.

I mentally sighed in relief and smiled slightly, “At least I can trust them to take care of you.”

“So, what are you going to do while I’m gone?” Percy asked after a while of comfortable silence.

“Oh, you know,” I shrugged. “Training and bonding probably.”

I also have to keep an eye on a certain son of Hermes. Better be safe than sorry I suppose…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks for sticking around and man that's a long chapter. Really appreciate the kudos and comments. The next update will be next week so I'll see you all next time!


	13. Frequent Visitor to The Infirmary

I groaned in bed as someone shook me awake. Ignoring the disturbance, I sank deeper into my fortress of blankets and continued to sleep, only to be shaken hard again. I opened one of my eyes in irritation and saw Lee standing beside me with a thousand-watt smile.

“Morning! Wake up!” He greeted cheerfully, way too cheerful in the morning.

I covered my head with my blanket and grumbled, “Too early.”

“Don’t you want to say goodbye to Percy?”

My eyes immediately snapped open and I dashed outside towards Thalia’s tree in my Star Wars pyjamas. Luke was giving something to Percy, probably the winged shoes that’ll fly straight to Tartarus which he’ll give to Grover. Poor dude.

“Percy! Wait!” I yelled and halted near him, panting hard with my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath. I gave a smile and ruffled his already messy hair.

“Come back alive, okay? Don’t do anything reckless and listen to Annabeth.”

Percy pouted and he tried to fix his hair, “Shut up!”

I chuckled and messed his hair again, “Just be careful. Keep your eyes open.”

I turned to Grover and gave him a gentle smack in the shoulder, “You be careful too, G-man. Those flying shoes of yours. Don’t use them too often, especially in the Underworld.” I murmured the last part so only he could hear with his sharper senses.

The satyr looked at me, confused but still nodded, “I don’t know what you mean, but okay?”

“Keep him out of trouble for me, will ya?”

He nodded and smiled, “Of course. I’m his protector and best friend.”

“I’m his best friend, Grove!” I argued playfully.

“Whatever.” He rolled his eyes.

I looked at Annabeth and scratched the back of my head, “Hey, uh, good luck out there. Don’t fight too much okay? And, uh, can you do me a favour? Take care of these two idiots for me. I trust you Annie.”

“I’ll do my best.” She nodded before a frown grew on her face, “And don’t call me Annie.”

I simply smiled and patted her shoulder, “Come back alive.”

“I will.”

Turning back to the raven-haired boy, I held up a fist, “Be careful out there, Perce.”

He grinned and fist-bumped me, “I got it, Levi.”

I stood next to Thalia’s tree as I watched them getting in the van with Argus and they drove down the hill, out of my eyesight. I honestly have no clue what I should do now. The book only talked about their quest, not about the camp.

“As much as I love your PJs, are you just going to stand there all day?”

I glanced at Luke who studied me and shrugged, “I think I’ll ask Lee for my schedule.”

I turned to walk back to the cabins when he grabbed my arm, “Hey! Want to spar at noon? I want to see you fight with your swords.”

“You already did. Besides what you probably meant was _**–** Hey, I want to beat the crap out of you at noon and probably humiliate you -_ No thanks.” I said flatly with a frown and shrugged his hand off, continued walking.

“Oh, come on man.” Luke insisted as he caught up to me, “You’ve got a lot of potential there.”

I ignored him as he tried to convince me for the next three minutes. My patience was thinning dangerously. I snapped, “Why me?” 

He looked taken back for a second but quickly smiled, “Like I said, you’ve got potential, Levant. It’s rare to be a dual wielder. If you train hard enough, you’ll be strong, possibly stronger than me.”

“The last time we spared, you almost beheaded me, sliced me in half, cut off my arm and gave me an unneeded haircut." I listed aloud in annoyance.

The blonde hit me over the head, “Don’t be such a drama queen.”

“Hey! I’m just stating the facts!”

He gave me a devilish grin, “You know what, I’m going to stalk you until you agree to spar with me.”

I stared at him like he was crazy and repeated incredulously, “You’re going to _stalk_ me.”

“Yup, so, what’s your answer?”

Rolling my eyes, I replied with a grumble, “Fine! I’ll meet you at the arena at noon. Jeez, you’re so troublesome.”

Luke ruffled my hair, making it even messier than before, “See you then, Lei-Lei!”

“It’s Levant, Lucy!” I yelled at his back.

I sighed exasperatingly and looked up at the blue sky, “What the hell did I just get myself into?”

*******

Luke was shaking when he saw me dragging my feet to the Arena. He covered his mouth and a few giggles escaped through his fingers. I glared at him and he finally burst into laughter shamelessly. I gritted my teeth and my fingers started to twirl around my pen as I resisted the urge to ram him through my sword.

“You done yet?” I asked bitterly.

“So, the rumour’s true?” He questioned between sniggers, “Did Clarisse really spare your life after you officially offended her and wounded her pride?”

“Oh, shut up Lucy! She broke my damn nose for gods’ sake!”

“Yeah, I can see that.” Luke walked closer to examine my injured face with an amused grin, “Your nose is a bit bigger and it’s slightly bent to the left.”

I simply scowled and jerked my head away sharply, “So, can I go now? I can’t risk my nose just to spar with you.”

Luke rolled his blue eyes, “Oh, come one. It’s just a nose. Not your life.”

I thought about what Michael said before shrugging, “Doctor’s orders.”

“Besides you look more unique. At least Clarisse likes you this way.”

“She hates me! She even broke my freaking nose! So, where’s the ‘like’ part in that?” I air-quoted the ‘like’ with a frown.

“Well, she acts weird around you.”

My eyes rolled in response, “Everyone acts weird when I’m around.”

He gave me a sly smirk, “Someone’s ignorant, or pretends to be.”

“Are we going to spar or what?!”

“Oh?” He questioned with that annoying smirk on his face, “Not afraid that I’ll ‘accidentally’ hit your nose?”

I grinned, “If you do that, don’t blame me if the Demeter and Athena cabin suddenly ambushes yours.”

Luke stared at me in disbelief, “What? How? What?”

“Ask the Stoll Twins.” I clicked both of my pens uncaringly, “They proudly told me all about it, saying they’re the masterminds of such an _ingenious_ prank.”

“I’m going to put leeches, mud, and branches in their sleeping bags tonight.” He grumbled and drew his sword.

I stood awkwardly since I’m still not used to holding two swords. I took a deep breath and looked at Luke who was studying my form. He adjusted my feet slightly and stepped back.

“Your form’s good enough.” He finally commented, “You still need some training though.”

I only hummed in acknowledgement as he continued to praise me, “I’m quite impressed to be honest. I’ve never seen an Apollo’s kid fighting this good with a sword, much less a dual wielder.”

“Are you trying to distract me?”

Luke just smiled and charged at me without warning. I quickly raised my bronze sword in my left grip to block while readied the black one to stab him. The blonde took a sharp turn to the right, away from my reach, and swung his sword at me. Our swords collided with a loud **_clang_** as he tried to press my sword at my face. I gritted my teeth pushed our swords towards the ground and swiftly turned around, slashing my black sword at him.

I almost, _almost_ scratched his T-shirt when he jumped back. My eyes narrowed as I tried to find a weakness. Everyone has a weakness. I inhaled through my nose, attempted to relax my tensed muscles. As I tried to clear my head, I could hear the soft wind, the ruffles of leaves and my own breathing.

Breathing.

Maybe, I can learn his breathing pattern, then maybe I can find his weak spot. Everyone’s breathing pause slightly when they change it to accumulate their offence pattern. It sounds way too unrealistic, especially since the idea came from anime. But I have nothing, so why not?

I concentrated on the steady movement on his chest. _One, two, three, four, five, six –_ Luke’s attacks halted before hacked again, switching into a different style _. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven –_ His style changed and successfully sliced my arm.

I hissed and quickly jumped back. Warm liquid flowed down from my wound to my wrist as I watched the blood staining his sword dripped on the sand. Wincing from the sting, I focused on his breathing again and tried to calm my own. I rushed towards him and he immediately slashed his sword. Our blades clashed once more and I began to force him back. He grunted when I barely registered him pausing slightly on _seven_.

Not wasting my chance, I quickly pulled back my sword, much to his surprise, and slammed his to the ground with my other one. Instantly I kicked the side of his knee and Luke kneeled with my black sword an inch to his neck.

His wide eyes stared at me before a grin formed on his sweaty face, “Impressive.”

I drew my sword back and he stood up, dusting his pants. “Thanks.” I panted out.

Suddenly, Luke grappled me to the floor and I choked on my own saliva when the back of my head bashed against the ground, hard. Blacks spots danced at the edge of my eyesight and my grip loosened. His blade gleamed dangerously on my neck, so close I thought he was actually going to slice my throat open.

“You need to finish your enemy off, Levant.” He lectured darkly, “Whether it is a monster, a god, a mortal, or a demigod, never hesitate to end their life.”

“Luke?” I gulped anxiously, completely aware of the sinister aura surrounding him.

His voice was so low, I could barely hear him, “You have potential. You can be the best of the best.” The blonde grinned menacingly, “You can even beat a god.”

“Snap out of it!” I yelled in panic. His icy blue stared into my terrified darker cerulean, “What the hell’s wrong with you?!”

He gave me a wicked smirk before lifting his sword from my neck, “Forget everything I just said.”

I had to be an idiot to ignore the obvious warning look he sent me. I nodded and he helped me up to my feet. I picked up both of my swords and turned them back into pens while Luke stared at me before walking away without another word.

I exhaled heavily at his bipolar attitude. I knew that Kronos is in his mind but why the hell did he snap like that? And why was he interested in me? Shouldn’t he be focused on Percy instead?

I’m just a son of Apollo, not counting the fact that Hades also claimed me. There’s only three other people who knew, unless Luke eavesdropped on that conversation. I got rid of that theory since Chiron and Mr. D would instantly know if someone listened that day, even if he had Annabeth’s invisibility cap.

“Levant!”

I flinched when a feminine voice called my name. Turning around, I saw Silena running. She stopped a few feet in front of me and her blue eyes widened at the sight of my bloodied arm.

“Your arm!” She shrieked and I winced, “What’s wrong with you today?! First Clarisse broke your nose and now someone cut your arm!”

I smiled sheepishly and shrugged, “It’s been a bad day.”

“I don’t want to hear excuses! You really have a knack on pissing people off!”

I pouted, “I’m not Percy!” (In a bus, Percy sneezed loudly and Annabeth smacked his arm for giving away their location to the monster bat sisters.)

She rolled her eyes and dragged me out of the area by my not wounded arm, “You’re going to the infirmary. You’ll get an infection if you roam around with that.”

“But-but-”

“No buts.” She silenced me with a sharp glare.

The daughter of Aphrodite opened the door and yelled Michael’s name loudly. My brother who was crouching under a shelf stacked with books, flinched when he heard someone calling his name. He bumped into the shelf and caused some books to drop on the floor, narrowly missed his head.

“For the love of-” Michael stopped when he saw Silena.

“Sorry.” She sent a charming smile and he instantly blushed crimson.

“What can I h-oh, him again.”

“Hey.” I protested weakly.

He crossed his arms, “What is it this time?”

Silena pushed me gently to him, “He got hurt sparing someone.”

My brother almost face-palmed when he saw the deep cut on my arm, “At least it’s still intact and not bent in some weird angle.”

“Oh, shut up!” I scowled as he took a canteen full of nectar from a shelf.

Michael carefully poured it on my injured arm and I flinched when the golden liquid touched the wound. He put the canteen on a nearby table as it quickly knitted itself, turning into a single white line.

“Phew, I thought you’re going to spontaneously combust for a moment there.”

My head whipped at him in puzzlement, “What did you just say?”

“What else do you want me to do, asshole?!” He snapped and Silena winced at his poor choice of words, “It’s your own fault that you got hurt twice in a day!”

“You could’ve just use stitches!” I exclaimed, “And some antibiotics and some aspirins for the pain! Then some nectar the next day!” I paused and started to mutter to myself, “Wait. I can’t just use antibiotics just for a day. Minimum five days, fifteen tablets if I take it three times a day…”

Michael stared at me, “Are you sure you’re a twelve-year-old kid?”

“Shit!” I cursed under my breath. Wait, I could’ve just played it off with my dad’s the god of medicine. _Idiot!_

“Anyways!” He glared harshly, “If you dare to get hurt again, I’ll make sure you’ll _get_ a spontaneous combustion! Brother or not, it’s irritating to see your face here almost every day!”

I simply smiled innocently and shrugged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...And that's another one done! Thanks for sticking around and as always really appreciate your kudos and comments. Next chapter will be up next week. See you all soon and stay safe everyone.


	14. Two Visits in a Night, Lucky Me

_Blessed with shadow, son of light,_

_Cursed with knowledge, he shall fight_

_Against his enemies with all his might._

_Prophecies can be changed by choice_

_For that beware:_

_Every action has its consequences._

I shot up from my bed. Beads of sweat glistened on my forehead as my blanket and sheets entangled my body. My eyes darted around the quiet cabin, panting hard. A shiver ran down my spine as the bone-chilling voices echoed in my head. I wrapped my arms around myself and curled into a ball, trying to wrap my mind around what just happened.

My first demigod dream.

A prophecy.

One directly from the Fates.

It has terrible rhyming.

I am officially screwed.

Determined to clear my head, I slipped into my sneakers and silently sneaked out. I walked to the beach without a sound, cautious of harpies since I did not want to get eaten tonight, or any day for that matter.

Looking at the glowing moon, I sighed and closed my eyes. The night breeze lightly ruffled my hair and caressed my skin. I wished it could just blow away all the chaos spiraling in my head like the sand.

“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” A male voice spoke beside me.

My head immediately whipped to my left. A blonde man stared at me and I blinked.

“Who the hell are you?” I questioned in a low tone with narrowed eyes. The flesh-eating harpies not too far from my whirlpool of a mind.

The man chuckled, “Now that’s not how I imagined seeing you after so long. I thought you’re the smart one, Levant.”

Blonde hair. Sky blue eyes. Sun-kissed skin. Blinding smile. It clicked.

“Apollo.”

“The one and only.” He grinned brightly at me, “The awesomest dad in the world.”

I face-faulted at his rather arrogant attitude, “It’s ‘most awesome’, not ‘awesomest’. That's not even a word.”

He pouted but instantly lightened up again, “I feel a haiku coming up.”

“What can I help you,” I quickly cut in, hesitating slightly, “Dad?”

Apollo pouted again, “You’re no fun.”

“Well, I’m sure it’ll be fun to watch your son being eaten by a mob of flesh-eating harpies.” I rolled my eyes sarcastically.

“Oh yeah,” He scratched his head, “I forgot to complain about that to that vine god.”

“Wine god.”

He simply dismissed my correction with a wave, “Anyways, let’s talk somewhere else without having to worry about something eating you.”

“Wh-” Before I could finish, we were in a park. Central Park to be exact.

I stumbled and held my stomach. _Oh god..._ My hand slapped on my mouth to prevent myself from vomiting. When I finally got a grip on my bearings, I glared at him, “Next time if you want to zap me off to somewhere, tell me. At least let me ready myself.”

My father whined like a kid, “Aw… but I love the element of surprise.”

“Well, I don’t.” I said sharply, “Now talk before my dear grandfather smites you. I’m pretty sure somewhere else on Earth the sun should be rising right now.”

“But I just want to spend some time with my son.” He wiped a fake tear.

I sighed exasperatedly, “Then do it when it’s day here.”

Apollo suddenly turned serious, “I’m here to talk about you, Levant.”

“I can’t see your future.” My eyes widened in shock and he grasped my shoulder, “Tell me. Did the Fates visit you?”

I lost the ability of speech, so I nodded. He turned sickly white. I could feel his hand trembling on my shoulder.

“Dad, what’s going on here?” I asked. For the first time in my life, I allowed the fear I felt since the moment I met Percy to show for the world to see, “Why did _HE_ claim me? And why are the freaking Fates interested in me?”

He flinched, “I can’t answer that.”

“Why?! I think I deserve to know why all this shit is happening to me!”

“I can’t because I swore on the Styx never to speak of this to anyone else.”

I could only gape at him in disbelief. What the fuck?! What kind of sick plot is this?! I shoved his hand off my shoulder and stepped away from the god who is my father.

After a moment of heavy silence between us, I asked quietly, “Mom knows, doesn’t she?”

“Yes, she does.” His face twisted in guilt.

I let out a ghostly smile. My eyes were hollow, “You three, huh?”

He tried to apologize, “Look, son, I’m sorry. I want to help but I can’t…”

Words are just words. Useless, empty and a waste of breath. What’s done is done. No pretty words can change that now. Nothing can.

I held up my hand to save myself from his useless babbling, and plastered an easy smile on my face, “It’s fine. I can’t put you in danger. Especially Mom.”

Apollo smiled and softly ruffled my hair, “Amelia’s kindness. I can see it in you. She always tries her best to protect those she loves and somehow always ended up being the one in danger. It’s annoying but it’s one of the reasons why I fell for her.”

“Really?” A genuine smile crept out.

“To be honest, I loved your mom the most.” He admitted, “She’s got spirit, and feisty, very feisty.” The god chuckled fondly, “She slapped me in the face every time I visited, calling me a whole bunch of horrible names. But somehow she always ended up forgiving me every single time.”

“You are kind of a jerk, Dad.” I rolled my eyes, “I mean, you never really keep your pants on.”

His sky blue eyes widened, “Mind your words, young man.”

I clamped my mouth shut. I just insulted a god right in his face... Oops? I smiled sheepishly, “Sorry.”

He simply grinned, “But at least, my awesomeness has passed on to you.”

“What?” I looked at him incredulously.

My father casually swung his arm around me, “I mean, look at all the girls who already fell for you. Clearly, you inherited my dashingly good looks.”

“Nah, no way.” I laughed awkwardly, “One of them already broke my nose.”

He wiggled his eyebrows, “Oh, come on, son. Don’t waste your handsome genes.”

“Since when did you turn into a male version of Aphrodite?” I questioned, “And seriously, do gods even have genes? Nobody answers that question.”

“I feel a haiku coming up.”

I protested immediately, “No, you don’t!”

He pouted again, “You’re no fun.”

“I think your definition of fun and mine are completely different.”

“You’re boring, like that stiffy old man.”

I sighed and glanced at the night sky, breaking the moment, “I think you should send me back and do your job before grandpa grounds you.”

He sighed as well, “You’re right. I’m supposed to be on the other side of the planet by now.”

Without warning, the god grabbed my shoulder and teleported me back into camp. More accurately, he dropped me on Cabin 7’s porch. I clenched my jaw to prevent a string of vibrant words slipping out when my broken nose bumped the wooden floor. Something I’m sure my dad won’t appreciate very much.

“Well, see you son!” He waved cheerfully.

I couldn’t help but smile back, “Bye Dad.”

Apollo flashed me a thousand-watt grin and glowed brightly. I quickly looked away as he disappeared in a blinding golden light. I sweat-dropped. Did he have to do that? We are in the dark inside of camp. Anyone could wake up with a light that bright.

Luckily, no one did. I sighed in relief and crawled back to bed. However, I still had a fear that when I close my eyes, that skin-crawling dream would pop up in my head again. It was almost dusk and since I obviously couldn’t sleep, I grabbed my notebook and a pen, and strolled to Thalia’s tree for some peace and quiet I desperately needed.

My mind continued to spin non-stop. There has to be some connection between the prophecy, the Fates’ visit, the oath Apollo took, and the fact my memories are still intact instead of wiped clean when I was reborn into this world.

“ _Di Immortales_.” I sighed as I continued my walk, “This is so damn troublesome.” I glanced at the now orange sky and mumbled, “Please be safe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the terrible prophecy, I can't rhyme to save my life haha. Thanks again for all the comments and kudos you guys keep sending in. Seriously appreciate it. Anyways, stay safe everyone and I'll see you all next week! Bye~


	15. I Just Signed My Death Certificate

I jolted out of bed again. My hands were shielding my face as I panted heavily. Almost every night after that dream with the Fates, nightmares started to haunt me. They were so vivid and real, I sometimes had to remind myself which is reality and which is not.

I rubbed my face and silently screamed in frustration. The purple bags beneath my eyes were obvious and my siblings kept questioning me about my sleeping habits. Unfortunately, sleep seems to be a rarity now. My fingers ran through my brown hair and I stood on the cold hard floor, slipping into my sneakers. Fresh air is a must to clear my mind, and this time with no gods visiting would be ideal.

I creeped out of my cabin and soundlessly closed the door. Not wasting any time, I jogged to the beach and perched on a sturdy tree branch from a tree near the shore.

My eyes closed in a poor attempt to calm my hurricane mind with my back against the trunk, enjoying the soft caress of the summer night breeze. After a while, I slowly opened my eyes and was greeted by the dark calm sea. It was a breathtaking view with the water washing upon the sandy shores in a soothing rhythm and reflecting the bright moon above. I gazed into the night sky filled with stars and I pondered whether to reach out and try to grab one. Just one. Enough to keep a light in the dark.

“Aw… that’s so sweet.” A voice cooed in my ear and sounded _way_ too close for comfort.

I almost jumped out of my branch when I saw a beautiful woman staring at me. She had silky dark hair and startling green eyes. A part of me was screeching, warning me about something, but the sight in front of my eyes blocked the voice and I lost all forms of speech.

“Your father’s right. You are different from the rest of his kids.” The lady spoke in a melodic voice, snapping me back to reality.

I blinked and her green eyes morphed into blue, and it slapped me right in the face.

Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty.

“Uh…” Unable to utter a decent word as I took in her ethereal features.

“And my daughter too! You’re so cute when you’re flustered like that!” She squealed and pinched my cheek hard.

Thankfully, the pain brought me back to my senses, “Uh, can I help you, miss?”

“Drop the ‘miss’.” The goddess ordered and waved her perfectly manicured hand, “It makes me feel old. Just call me Lady Aphrodite.”

“What can I do for you, Lady Aphrodite?”

Instantly I regretted the words that spilled from my mouth.

I just specifically asked a god for a job. The goddess of love to be exact.

I just signed my death certificate. Shit...

Aphrodite smiled and I sighed in defeat. Me and my fucking mouth.

“Oh, you see.” She trailed, twirling her now blonde hair, “I left my scarf in some deserted area, Waterloo Park.”

I barely stopped myself from face-planting in front of her. So, she’s asking me to get her scarf because she forgot. She could’ve just teleported there and back in three seconds tops.

“I left it while I was on a date with Ares.” She casually applied some nail polish on her already perfect nails, “And I need it since I’ll be going on another one with someone else.”

My stoic face was probably twitching madly while I was straining to conceal the disgust growing in my gut. First, she cheated on Hephaestus who’s her husband, and now with Ares? This is just _wrong_. Does she have no shame in doing this? Spit on the definition of loyalty while you’re at it!

“So, you want me to go get it for you?” I questioned, biting back my anger.

She nodded and clapped as if I was a toddler lacking any brain cells, “You’re so smart!”

I almost rolled my eyes in irritance. It’s obvious she wants me to fetch her that darn scarf. Even a complete idiot can understand that! The way she said is entirely offensive and the clapping is just plain mockery.

Arrogant, insulting, manipulative. She is definitely not in my good books. However, I’d rather not be in her bad ones.

Hoping to get out of it, “Chiron forbid me from leaving camp.”

“Oh, I’ll take care of that.” She replied offhandedly, “My daughter Drew can charmspeak him. And of course, I’ll help as well, since it’s Chiron we’re talking about.”

“Oh…” With that, I could only accept my fate then and sighed silently in defeat, “So, how do I go there?”

“You are so silly!” The goddess giggled and I would’ve strangled her if I didn’t care about my life. She just called me stupid! I might not always be the smartest person in the room, but I am definitely _not_ stupid! My temper was reaching my boiling point, which was never good.

“You can use that Pegasus of yours. Hold this.” She shoved a mirror in my hands and applied some lipstick. Wow. Not even a ‘please’?

“I don’t even know where the fuck is Waterloo Park.” I gritted my teeth as I tried to restrain my dangerous temper.

Aphrodite almost dropped her lipstick and chided me, “Language, young man. I hate it when a man talks dirty in front of me.”

Well, good thing I’m not a man yet. And of course, I bit back that snarky remark and muttered some half-hearted apology, which she ignored completely.

“I can help you with that.” She snapped her fingers and a white dove appeared, landing on top of my head and I tensed.

A fucking bird was on my head.

I swore to gods that I’ll murder that fucking pigeon if it dared to do anything stupid. It pecked my head and shook its body, cooing softly. I thought I saw some feathers fell and landed on the ground gently. It tested every bit of self-control I had to restrain myself. I almost punched it when it nipped my head again. And what’s worse, the fucking bird sat on top of my head as if it had already made a nest from my hair.

This is just _fucking_ awesome!

“Aw, she likes you!” The goddess squealed, “She already made herself home.”

I continued to fume silently. That fucking pigeon is still sitting on my head… It cooed again and shifted, further messing up my hair. I swear if it poops, I’ll roast it on a stick for tomorrow's breakfast.

“She’ll help you find the place.” She took the mirror from my fist which I completely forgot.

“Does this mean I have to leave now?”

She simply stood up, “I already sent Drew to talk to Chiron. You can go now.”

Aphrodite began to shine brightly in a light pink hue and I immediately closed my eyes. The light grew blinding bright before it died down, leaving a hint of expensive perfume. When I opened my eyes, there was only an empty spot near me with sounds of waves crashing onto the shore and the dove cooed on top of me, literally.

“So, the bird is still here.” I mumbled and scowled when the dove pecked my head.

“Fan- _fucking_ -tastic! My first quest is to fetch a scarf left behind during a date like a _fucking_ dog, accompanied by a pigeon. What a terrific story!” I grumbled sarcastically as I jumped down from the branch and walked back to my cabin for some supplies.

After I stuffed some extra clothes, food, water, a bag of ambrosia and a small flask of nectar I nicked from the infirmary and some cash from the souvenir shop into my backpack, I headed to the stables. I almost turned back when I saw Chiron standing near the stable in his hair curlers and stared at me with dazed eyes.

“I heard Aphrodite wanted you to go on a quest for her.” He spoke in a trance and smiled unnaturally, “I approve. This can prove your loyalty to the gods.”

I could only blink before something sharp scratched my scalpel. I flinched and scowled again when I remembered that a bird was still on my head. I walked towards Loki who looked curiously at me with his big green eyes. I stroked his mane and placed a saddle I found near him, and climbed on his back.

The Pegasus snorted as he trotted outside and stretched. Before Loki reached the lake, he spread his magnificent wings. My eyes widened when the ground became further away and I was actually in the air. I clenched onto his black mane for dear life, enough to reassure myself but not hurt him. The dove flapped its wings and positioned itself in front of Loki and began to guide him.

The sun was peeking in the horizon and the warm yellow-orange rays of light began to shine on the city below me. Loki kept flying at a steady pace and I wondered if someone looked up, what would they see? A dove and some big object flying beneath a kid? Okay, that sounds a bit stupid.

“I really hope I won’t meet Ares.” I muttered, “All I want is to get the damn scarf, get back to camp, and not getting involve in bringing the stupid zappy toy to the Underworld.” I clenched my fist, “Is that too hard to ask?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone! That's another chapter done... poor Levi. Anyways thanks for all the kudos and comments I've been receiving. Really appreciate it man. I'll see you all next week! Bye~


	16. This is Not Part of the Plan at All

I yawned and stretched as I tried to adjust my eyes to my surroundings. It was morning and I was leaning against a trunk on a branch in a forest with Loki snoring below me. Rummaging my hastily packed bag, I pulled out a water bottle, bread and dried fruit. After I wolfed down my breakfast, I climbed down from my makeshift shelter and gently nudged the snoring Pegasus.

He blinked his green eyes at me in confusion. I smiled and pulled out three apples from my backpack, “Hey, buddy.” Offering him the apples, “Want an apple?”

Lazily, he stood and sniffed the fruits in my hands, and gobbled them instantly… I guess he’s hungry as well. I took him to a fresh pond I found last night to satisfy the thirst I knew he had. Once he finished, I stroked his mane and climbed on his saddle.

“Come on, Loki. We’ve got a job to do.” I patted him softly as Loki stretched his wings and took off.

The dove suddenly appeared out of nowhere and started to guide us again. The sun was setting and we finally arrived near Waterloo Park. I exhaled in relief when there was no sign of Percy and his quest mates. I led Loki to a secluded stall for him to hide while I search for the scarf. If I remember correctly, there’s a love ride around here.

I froze when I heard a girl’s scream echoed through the abandoned park and let out a groan of annoyance. I whistled and Loki trotted to me with questioning looks. Not wasting time, I climbed on his back as I told him to fly towards the scream’s direction. He quickly took off into the air and my eyes scanned the area, trying to pinpoint its source.

“Over there.” I whispered next to Loki’s ear when I spotted a mop of black and blonde hair on the ride.

The ride itself was so near the gates, ready to crash. Immediately, I urged the Pegasus and luckily I managed to reach them in time, right when they jumped out of the ride.

Grover caught Annabeth while I grabbed Percy. I could see the flinched when he realized that he was hovering in the air and the satyr was in front of him. He quickly looked up and his sea-green eyes widened. I was surprised they didn’t fall off.

I lowered him to the ground and climbed down from Loki’s back. The raven-haired boy was still staring at me, as if he was trying to figure out if I was real or just a figment of his wild imagination, and I suddenly found my shoes incredibly interesting. This is gonna be awkward… 

He finally spoke out, “I thought you were at camp.”

“I got caught in something stupid involving a rather forgetful god.” I replied plainly, ignoring the thunderclap above me.

Annabeth blinked, probably couldn’t believe I was still standing after I insulted a god, “Who?”

“Doesn’t matter.” I shrugged as she glared daggers at me, “Do you have the scarf?”

Grover choked out, “Y-you mean that pink scarf Percy found with the shield?”

I sighed and nodded solemnly. Her stormy grey eyes widened and yelled in disbelief, “ _SHE_ sent you?! Just for some stupid scarf?!”

I rubbed the back of my neck, “Yeah. And please don’t ask me why. I just happened to say the wrong thing at the wrong time.”

She shook her head, “You and your stupid mouth.”

“At least I don’t badmouth people wherever I go like a certain seaweed brain over there!”

“Hey!” Percy whined while she giggled.

Before Annabeth could give me the scarf, a big, bulky hand snatched the dumb thing from her. My face immediately devoid from emotion and I inhaled deeply.

I glanced upwards, only to see Ares towering me with a smug smirk on his face. My anger and hatred started to bubble up inside and I tightened the lock on my emotions firmer. Only a tiny twitch of my jaw hinted my attempts.

“Ha! So, this is the whelp that made Clarisse go soft.” He laughed mockingly.

“ _I_ have a name.” I responded neutrally, emphasizing on the ‘I’, “And my _name_ is Levant.”

Ares fixed his sunglasses and sent me a creepy grin, “Do you really think I care, you little shit?”

I said nothing.

His grin widened, “Too chicken to say anything, brat?”

I raised an eyebrow when the god started laughing, “Ha! You have a tight grip on your anger, whelp! Better than those brats next to you!”

Suddenly he slapped my back hard and I hissed out a curse. He ignored it as he pulled me in a headlock, one that could snap my neck anytime he wanted. I’ll admit, it was a good way to disguise murder intent with a friendly gesture. Annabeth and Percy watched in horror while Grover almost passed out on the spot.

“You know,” He started while tightening his headlock, “You’re really lucky that she likes you. Like seriously, she always rambles about you ever since your father claimed you along with the other guy in the basement.”

I stayed silent as a scowl threatened to break my stoic mask, waiting for him to continue.

“I won’t kill you. You’ll die either way.” He let me go and I inhaled sharply, “I’ll give this back myself.”

Tentatively, I rubbed my sore throat with narrowed eyes, “I was told to return the scarf to her.”

Ares raised his sunglasses, revealing his orange roaring flames that danced dangerously, “And I say you’re going home.”

I bit my lip to stop myself from shouting outrage at him and kept my silence.

“Here.” He tossed me a battered blue backpack and barked as I bit my lip, “Give me the shield!”

Percy automatically held out the bronze shield which he snatched and it morphed into a bulletproof vest, “Your ride’s over there. You’d better go now or it’ll leave without you.”

We watched the god stroll down the street and I heard a roar from a motorcycle engine before the sound disappeared completely. I stared at the blue backpack in my hands with a grimace and threw it at an unsuspecting Annabeth, who cursed rather impressively. I gave them a small wave and I walked back to Loki.

“I’m heading back.” I simply declared as I climbed back on his back.

“Wait!” Percy yelled.

I glanced at him and he looked like a nervous wreck, “C-come with us!”

Annabeth smacked him on the head, “The prophecy didn’t say anything about a fourth member, Seaweed Brain!”

“But he’s got a quest too!” He argued, “And it came directly from a goddess! Bring back Aphrodite’s scarf, and clearly he doesn’t have it. Ares does! So he has to retrieve it before going back!”

The daughter of Athena blinked and I sighed heavily. _Technically_ he’s right. I have to deliver the damn thing to the goddess myself. While I appreciate that Percy sometimes shows his hidden intelligence, I hate him so much right now. I sent him a deadly glare.

“Never in my life I’d expect you’d say something intelligent like that.” I grumbled and stroked Loki’s mane.

My feet were back on the ground as I whispered him to go back without me. The Pegasus of course protested, but after some coaxing from the son of Poseidon, he leaned against my forehead and reluctantly spread his wings back to camp.

“I’m so gonna regret this.” I muttered under my breath as I adjusted the green backpack I packed and followed my troublesome friends into the big animal transport truck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks for sticking around and all the awesome comments and kudos. Next chapter will be up again next week and I'll see you guys then! Stay safe!


	17. I Never Liked Casinos

I dug my heels into the pavement as Percy and Grover half yanked, half dragged me to the Lotus Hotel and Casino. I do _not_ want to get into that cursed place filled with creepy attendants. _HELL NO!_

I held onto the hotel door for dear life and poor Percy had to pull. However, the Tug of War soon ended with me trailing behind the group with a bruised cheek. (Annabeth punched my face and waved it off as an accident.)

So, here I am in this god damn hotel, holding an ice pack Grover found in the freezer against my cheek with them already deep in the stupid casino. I headed towards the bathroom and washed my face.

“I need to get them out.” I muttered to myself as I glanced up.

There in the mirror was a boy with startling cerulean blue eyes and purple bags underneath. His messy brown hair was sticking up in random directions. He solemnly stared back at me. I roared in frustration and punched the mirror, shattering it. The sharp pain from my bleeding knuckles cleared my fuzzy head. At least the pain is keeping me awake in here, I thought grimly as I cleaned and wrapped my injured hand hastily.

I quickly picked up my trusty green backpack, along with Ares’s tattered blue one, and pushed through the crowds. My eyes darted around the sea of people in hopes of finding the troublesome trio as fast as possible. Some glared at me, but soon focused back on their stupid games and completely ignored me. Luckily, I found a dazed Percy after a few turns.

“Percy!” I called out and dashed towards him.

He blinked at me in a trance, “Levant…”

I grabbed his shoulder, ignoring my blood staining his T-shirt (fingers crossed that wasn’t his favourite one) and shook him harshly, “Percy, snap out of it! It’s a trap!”

Percy tried his best to focus on me, “Huh?”

Squeezing his shoulder as hard as I could, he flinched. His foggy sea-green eyes became clear as he regained his senses. The raven-haired boy blinked again and looked around.

“Uh, are we still in here?” He asked in confusion, “The hotel, I mean.”

I nodded and turned to leave, “Yeah and we need to get out, fast.”

Percy caught my arm, “Mind explaining why?”

I froze. I was so focused on busting them out, I completely forgot to make up an excuse. My eyes roamed across the area and I saw a man in hippy clothes with long hair staring at a ping-ball machine.

“Uh, I met someone here. He said it’s still 1963, and you know what year it is now.”

He stared at me in disbelief, “But that’s impossible! We’ve only been here for a few minutes!”

I gritted my teeth and my nails dug deeper into his shoulder, “Just trust me alright? We have to leave, now!”

“Okay! _OKAY!_ I trust you! Just cut it out!”

I let go but Percy grabbed my injured hand, “What happened?” he questioned in concern.

“I may or may not have punched a mirror.” I admitted quietly, “It was the only thing I could think of to clear my head.”

He simply sighed, “We need to get that treated.”

“Later.” I tossed him the blue backpack, “We need to find Grover and Annabeth.”

Percy nodded, “I think we should split up.”

“Are you insane?! Have you seen the horror movies? I can’t risk losing you in here again!”

“Levant, trust me okay? I’ll be back with Annabeth or Grover, preferably both.” He reassured me with a pat on my shoulder.

I clenched my jaw tightly. It’s not because I doubt his capability, it’s just that this hotel is dangerously filled with traps. Even right now it’s starting to mess with my mind, urging me to forget everything and stay.

“Meet me at the front the door when you’ve found one of them.” With that I turned around to continue my search.

I kept bumping into people but I paid them no attention. I have more important things to take care of. I didn’t know what day it was and I could only hope we still had time. Suddenly, I tripped with a yelp and I crashed into an unfortunate victim.

Groaning as I pushed myself up, I looked at the person beneath me, ready to apologize but cat got my tongue. A girl with black hair and olive skin was glaring at me with her obsidian eyes. I blushed and immediately stood up. She ignored my offered hand and got back to her feet, dusting herself off.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” I scratched my neck awkwardly.

“Watch where you’re going next time.” She said sharply and picked up her green hat from the floor. My eyebrows furrowed as a sense of familiarity washed upon me and my mind ran a hundred miles per hour. Have I seen her before?

“Bianca!”

I watched with wide eyes as a younger boy with similar features to the girl ran with a big smile on his face. Realization hit me like a train. I made a split-second decision and sprinted away from the siblings, calling over my shoulder, “Again, I’m really sorry!”

My eyes darted around desperately when I stopped far away from the siblings and took a deep breath. Calm down. Focus on the task at hand. Grab one of the two and get out. If I remember correctly, Grover should be in a shooting game where he kills hunters instead of animals. Reading the signs, I ran to the area and let out a breath of relief when I saw the satyr shooting a human with speeds I’ve only seen when the school was serving enchiladas for lunch.

“Grover!”

He ignored me and kept shooting.

My eye twitched in annoyance and I grabbed his shoulder, “Grover! The quest! Percy! The bolt!”

Grover quickly turned and thrusted his gun at my face, screaming, “Die filthy human!”

“Oh, fuck this.” I growled with a dark scowl.

I threw the gun behind me into a kid, who yelped in pain, and dragged him by the collar all the way to the entrance. People stared while he kept on wailing “DIE!”, “LET ME GO!” and “FILTHY HUMAN!”

I could see Percy with Annabeth waiting at the front door and I hissed, “Out. Now.”

They nodded and immediately pushed the door open and I shoved the troublesome Goat Boy outside. Before I got to the sweet exit, a huge hand grabbed my arm and dragged me back inside.

“Shit.” I cursed when I turned around, only to see a hotel guard with a creepy grin, “Where are you going kid?”

“Anywhere but here.” I spat out, and his grip tightened painfully.

“Well, I don’t think so.”

As I reached for my pen to slice this motherfucker’s arm off, a familiar blue bag hit the guard in the face. I stared in shock when someone pulled me by my backpack away from the unconscious guard and out of the door.

The humid fresh air greeted me while Percy collapsed next to me.

“Thanks.” I managed to pant out.

He simply grinned, “We’re friends, aren’t we?”

A smile grew on my face and I offered him a fist. He bumped with his only for me to flinch involuntarily. I forgot my hand was still injured… Oops.

“Annabeth,” Percy asked, “Do you have any nectar left?”

“We lost everything back in the bus, remember?” The blonde girl replied and examined my bloodied hand.

“I have some in my bag.” They all glared at me simultaneously. What? I had more urgent stuff to take care of.

Grover rummaged my backpack and passed the canteen of nectar to Annabeth. She carefully poured the liquid on my hand and the cut closed up. Sighing in relief, I thanked her which she simply gave me a smile before putting the canteen into my bag again.

“So, what day is it?” Percy wondered aloud.

I glanced around and found a newspaper in the bin, “Uh, I think we almost spent a week in there. It’s the twentieth of June.”

“WHAT?!” The trio yelled, “WE ONLY GOT ONE DAY LEFT!!!”

“Jeez, you don’t have to yell at my face, ya know. I’m not deaf, not so sure about now though.” I rubbed my ringing ears with a frown and mumbled the last part to myself.

Annabeth halted a cab and requested the driver to take us to Los Angeles in a day. He just laughed and asked us how much money did we had. I threw Grover’s casino card to the front seat. His eyes widened in disbelief when an unlimited symbol appeared on his machine.

I raised my eyebrow, “So?”

“I’ll do my best, sir.” He said politely, stepping on the gas pedal without restraint, and suddenly I feared for my life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...And that's another chapter done! Thanks for all the amazing kudos and comments. As always a new chapter will be up next week and see ya!


	18. My Dad Would be Proud

I stood in line in a modest coffee shop in Los Angeles and tapped my foot, waiting for the woman in front of me to order. She was still talking to someone on the phone for the past five minutes. The young girl who came with her along with the rest of those after me and the employee behind the cashier were annoyed. And they had every reason to be.

“Look, if you don’t have what he wants, what do you think he’ll agree to be in this movie? Mr. Mclean is a very busy man, and he already has six other directors wanting him to star in their…” The woman spoke heatedly on the phone and the girl next to her tugged her blazer.

She paused and glared at her in annoyance before she continued her conversation, completely ignoring the cashier in front of her who was trying to get her attention as politely as possible. The girl shifted uncomfortably as if she had trouble standing still and I took in her appearance.

She was beautiful, no doubt. Probably a year younger than me and a native American descent. She had chocolate brown hair, cut choppy and uneven with thin strands braided to the side. Her eyes, however, drew my undivided attention and my brain screamed in recognition. They were as blue as the sky and when she blinked they were green like the fields.

It clicked.

A demigod.

A daughter of Aphrodite to be exact… Shit.

But, I was also dying for a good cup of coffee and those behind me were fuming. Pushing the newly processed information aside, I tapped the woman’s shoulder with a polite smile plastered on my face.

She turned to me with irritation written all over her face, “What?”

My smile didn’t faze one bit. Instead, it widened, “Excuse me, miss. But I’m afraid you’re holding the line and as you see, it is quite long.”

“Can’t you see I’m in an important phone call right now?”

“And can’t you see the rest of us have other places to be just as important?” I shot back without missing a beat, “Why don’t you order now and talk later? I’m sure it’ll only take less than a minute. Or you can stand at the side and finish your call and let those who are waiting _patiently_ the entire time to order first.”

She looked at the line and saw the customers were scowling at her while the daughter of Aphrodite smirked smugly. Tensely she finally gave her order, which the employee took impatiently, and left with two cups of coffee in her hands.

The cashier smiled in appreciation and took my order without a hitch and gave my medium-sized mocha in record time. As I left the queue, the customers patted my shoulder and smiling, thanking me for getting rid of the rude lady. I could only blush and stutter out “ _No problem.”_ as I walked outside of the shop.

Taking a sip of the steaming coffee, I sighed in content. Someone tapped my shoulder and I turned, only to see the girl with a stunning smile on her face.

“Thanks for that. Someone needed to knock her down a peg or two.”

I just scratched the back of my head and shrugged, “I-It’s nothing. She was holding the line and the others weren’t exactly patient.”

Her smile grew and my face was burning, “Still thanks. I’m Piper by the way.”

My eyes widened and I barely stopped my jaw from dropping. Piper Mclean. Daughter of Aphrodite. Part of the Seven. Why is she here? It’s like five years too early to meet her! But damn, she’s beautiful… _NO! Stop it!_

I shook my head and gave her my lopsided smile, bowing dramatically, “Levant Ral, at your service.”

Piper giggled melodically as I grinned cheekily, mentally giving myself a high five.

“Piper! We’re leaving!” The troublesome woman yelled at the end of the street, next to a very expensive car.

“Well, this is goodbye.”

“This isn’t ‘bye’, more like a ‘see you later’.” I offered optimistically.

She simply smiled, “Then I’ll see you later, Levant.”

“See ya, Piper.” I grinned.

I didn’t know what came over me when I suddenly called out as she started to walk away, “Wait!”

She halted her steps and looked at me in confusion. I shifted my weight on my foot only to blurt out, “Can I write to you?”

Her kaleidoscope eyes widened in surprise as I rambled on nervously, “I mean I won’t if you don’t want me to. But I, uh, kinda want to know you more and I would’ve asked for your phone number but the summer camp I’m in doesn’t allow us to use phones, so, uh… can I? I mean only if you don’t mind, of course.” Clearing my throat awkwardly, I stared at the pavement in embarrassment. Stupid ADHD, “Yeah…”

“Sure.”

My head snapped up so fast I thought I had whiplash. She was smiling shyly and a small smile grew on my face as I fumbled out my notebook and pen, and she wrote her post address on a blank page.

“So, can I expect your letter this summer?” She asked tentatively, “It’ll be nice to have a pen pal.”

“Of course. I promise.” I grinned brightly, bright enough to make my dad proud.

Piper smiled back with just as much enthusiasm, “See you Levant!”

She ran down the pavement and looked back when she reached her car. I gave her a grin and waved, which she happily returned. I watched the retreating car as it drove around the corner and glanced at the paper.

The dopey grin was still on my face while I carefully tucked the notebook into my backpack and walked down the pavement to where I was supposed to meet Percy, Annabeth and Grover, humming without a care in the world.

When I finally arrived, I was greeted with a – “WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?! WE WERE SUPPOSED TO MEET HERE 20 MINUTES AGO! AND WHERE THE HELL ARE OUR DRINKS!”

…Oops.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! This is more of a steering-away-from-the-plot chapter that I thought was fun to add. It's something I've been thinking about anyways. As always, thanks so much for the kudos and comments, and I'll see you all next week! Bye~


	19. Obedience Class 101

After getting a couple inches taller in Crusty the Crab’s Waterbed store, we walked into the DOA lobby. Muzak was playing softly from hidden speakers. The carpet and walls were steel grey and the furniture was black leather with every seat taken by creepy transparent people.

At the security desk was a tall man with chocolate skin and bleached blonde hair shaved in military-style. He wore a silk Italian suit and a pair of expensive shades. A black rose was pinned underneath his silver name tag.

Percy just had to open his big mouth, “Your name is Chiron?”

I groaned silently behind him and the man leaned across the desk with a snake-like smile, “Tell me,” He spoke in an accent, “Do I look like a centaur?”

“N-No.”

“Sir.” He added smoothly.

“Sir.”

He ran his bony fingers under the letters of his name tag, “Can you read this, mate? It says C-H-A-R-O-N. Say it with me: CARE-ON.”

“Charon.”

“Amazing! Now: _Mr._ Charon.”

“Mr. Charon.” Percy repeated like a parrot.

“Well done.” Charon sat back with a satisfied smile, “I _hate_ being confused with that old horse-man. How may I help you, little dead ones?”

Annabeth spoke up, “We want to go to the Underworld.”

I sighed and tuned them out, only to gulp when the ferryman glanced at me, intrigued. Probably because he knew that Hades claimed me. The trio were sweating bullets when Charon told us he knew we were alive and were demigods. I mean seriously, did they really expect him to believe that four kids died in the same bathtub?

“And why would I help you?” He asked us lazily, his soul-piercing eyes peaked out of his shades, staring straight at me.

I blurted out, “Uh, we can ask Hades to raise your salary?”

Annabeth stomped my feet, hard, as she smiled sweetly and put a pouch filled with golden drachmas on his desk. He lowered his sunglasses. His hungry eyes were fixed at the gold.

“We’ll give this to you if you let us through.” She stated, “ _And_ we’ll tell Hades that you’d like a raise.”

Charon pondered for a moment, “Hm… I guess there’s enough room to fit you four.”

He swiped the drachmas into his desk drawer and guided us to an elevator at the back while shoving spirits out of the way. Dread weighed heavily in my stomach as the elevator descended and I gulped before climbing into the boat near the shore of the River Styx.

Trying my best not to stare at the ferryman whose suit morphed into a black robe and a cloak. I looked into the murky water. It’s depressing to see water so contaminated. So many broken dreams and promises. I didn’t even realize the boat had already reached the other side.

“Are you okay, Levant?” Grover asked anxiously while chewing his shirt, “You seem a bit off when we got here.”

I glanced away, debating if I should confide them or not, but with the oath hanging over my head… “It’s nothing.” I ended up saying as I continued walking, “Let’s keep moving.”

I was so lost in thought, I didn’t hear Percy and Annabeth screaming me to stop. I halted my steps when a huge drop of water fell in front of me.

Slowly I glanced up, only to see Cerberus’s three giant heads and their curious eyes watched me. I stood there, frozen, staring at the guardian of the Underworld with wide eyes. The middle head sniffed me and my breath was caught in my throat when the ginormous dog snout stopped at my face. I could feel the smelly hot wind from its nose. Please don’t eat me. Please don’t eat. Please don-

**_Slurp_ **

I blinked as my upper body was drenched in dog saliva and I could hear the three gagging in the distance. _Ew.._. I wiped my face in disgust as I scowled darkly at Cerberus. Screams, crashes and earthquakes came from the back while they wagged their tail enthusiastically.

“Levant!”

Turning around, only to be greeted by a bright red ball flying right at me and it hit me dead in the face. I groaned and rubbed my poor nose.

Annabeth whispered with a wince, “Sorry!”

I sent her a glare and took the ball from the ground. As I raised the squishy toy in the air, all three heads focused solely on the ball. Even their tail stopped moving.

“Hey, uh, wanna play?” I asked unsurely, flinching when a thunder-like bark assaulted my ears.

I tossed the ball at the dog and signaled the three to go while Cerberus was distracted. One of the heads crouched down to my level and dropped the Waterloo Park issued ball at my feet. I resisted the urge to gag when my hand picked up the slimy, glistening toy.

“Good boy.” I muttered, nervously patted the dog’s big snout.

It barked and I swore my eardrums had burst opened with the annoying ringing. Rubbing the snout one last time, I threw the ball as far as I could and made a mad dash towards Percy like a bat out of hell.

“You’re soaked in dog saliva.” The son of Poseidon remarked bluntly when I stopped in front of him, panting heavily.

I growled, “Shut up.”

I took out a clean shirt and immediately changed. Annabeth yelped and covered her eyes. I frowned at my dirty shirt (I liked that shirt) and dropped it on the ground.

The girl whacked me over the head, “Don’t change in front of a girl, you idiot!”

I rubbed my head and pouted, “There’s nowhere for me to change.”

Her cheeks turned red “There’s a big rock over there, dumbass! You could’ve changed behind that!”

“Oh yeah…” I blinked before smiling sheepishly, “Hehe, oops?”

A fist smashed against my skull again, “You _idiot_!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks for sticking with me and Levant for the ride. Like seriously over 1300 hits, you guys are awesome! By the way, thank you so much for the oncoming kudos and don't forget, comments are always welcome here :) As always, new chapter will be up next week and I'll see you all then! Bye ~


	20. We Learned the Truth, Sort of

Think of the biggest concert crowd you have ever seen, or a football field packed with thousands of fans.

Now imagine a field a million times bigger, filled with people and the electricity has been cut out. There is no noise, no lights, no _‘I love you!’_ signs being waved in the crowd. Something tragic happened backstage and masses of people were whispering to themselves, just wandering around in the shadows, waiting for a concert that will never start.

If you can picture that, then you have a pretty good idea what the Fields of Asphodel looks like. The black grass had been trampled by eons of dead feet. Black trees (Grover told us they were poplars) grew in clusters here and there. The ceiling was so high it could’ve been grey clouds looming above us with wickedly pointed spikes.

The four of us tried to blend into the crowd, keeping an eye out for security ghouls. We followed the line of new arrivals from the main gates to a black-tented pavilion with a banner:

**Judgments for Elysium and Eternal Damnation – Welcome, Newly Deceased!**

Out the back of the tent were two smaller lines.

On the left, spirits were flanked by security ghouls and marched down a rocky path towards the Fields of Punishment, which glowed and smoked in the distance. Cracked wasteland as far as the eye could see with rivers of lava and minefields and miles of barbed wire separating different torture areas. Even from a distance, I could see people being chased by hellhounds, burned on metal, forced to run naked through cactus and porcupines. You know, all the interesting and fun stuff. I wonder since I’m claimed by Hades, could I design some of the tortures when I die?

The line to the right was way better if you’re boring. It led down to a small valley surrounded by walls. Beyond the gates were neighbourhoods of beautiful houses from every time period in history. I could hear laughter and the smell of delicious barbecue.

Elysium.

In the middle of that valley was a sparkling blue lake with three small islands. The Isles of the Blest, for people who had chosen to be reborn three times, and three times achieved Elysium.

“That’s what it’s all about.” Annabeth said in awe, “That’s the place for heroes.”

I, however, noticed how few people were in Elysium and how tiny it was compared to Asphodel and even Punishment. So little people did good in their lives. It’s just sad.

After a few miles of walking deeper into Asphodel, I heard a screech in the distance. There on the horizon was a palace of glittering black obsidian and above it swirled three bat-like creatures – the Furies.

“I suppose it’s too late to turn back.” Grover sighed wistfully.

Percy tried to sound confident, “We’ll be okay.”

“Maybe we should search the other places first.” The satyr suggested, “Like Elysium for example…”

“Come on, Goat Boy.” Annabeth reached to grab his arm only for him to yelp. His trainers sprouted wings and his legs shot forward, away from the group.

“Grover! The shoes!” I yelled as I sprinted after him with the two at my heels. He was holding onto a rock with his body at 90° from the ground.

Grover screamed back, “I’m trying!”

“Well, try harder!” I stopped next to him and tried to untie a shoe from his hoof.

Suddenly the gravity drawing him grew much stronger, as if _HE_ could sense my presence. Grover panicked and latched onto my arm. I let out a yelp as we were being pulled into the Pit. I could hear Percy and Annabeth from the distance. I waved my hand around desperately, clutching anything I could reach to slow us down.

“Fuck!” There were only small pebbles around us, “Grover! Kick the damn shoe off!”

He could only nod when my eyes widened at the sight of a rather large rock zooming in front of us. I quickly pulled Grover towards me and managed to switch places.

“Levant!” The satyr cried as my head and back bashed into the rock.

Luckily, the rock halted our advance long enough for Grover to kick the shoes off. I tried my best to stay conscious and something warm trailed down from the back of my head. Blood.

“Oh gods, not again!” He helped me to sit while the two finally caught up.

“Grover! I’m glad you’re okay.” Annabeth sighed in relief before she looked at me, “ _Di Immortales,_ what happened?”

“He protected me again! Just like before-”

“Shut up.” I murmured groggily and winced when dizziness hit me, “It ain’t your fault.”

The four of us froze when a loud angry voice came from the Pit. Annabeth quickly took charge, “Percy, Grover, help me.” They swung my arms over their shoulders, “We have to go now!”

I groaned at the sharp pain only to widen my eyes when something similar to a laugh came from Tartarus. “Get us out of here! Now!”

Imagine the creepiest, scariest voice that sends the biggest chill down your spine. That voice called me specifically. Yep, my dear great-grandfather called me. _HE_ _fucking_ called me!

“I got you now, son of Apollo.”

*******

I flinched as Annabeth silently wrapped a bandage around my head. I guess she was still scared after Kronos called after me. I closed my eyes and tried to calm my racing heart. We took a break after we fled from the entrance of Tartarus.

“Levant?” I opened my eyes and glanced at the girl, “Why did _HE_ call you?”

“I have no idea.” I admitted softly.

Percy crouched in front of me, “Can you walk?”

I nodded hesitantly and wobblily got back on my feet, looking at him in questioning, “Aren’t you gonna ask me about what just happened?”

His sea-green eyes shone with pure confidence, “I believe you, Levi.”

Guilt eroded me. Here I am, still lying to Percy who trusts me completely. What a great friend I am! I lowered my head and gritted my teeth, drawing blood. I wanted to tell him everything. Gods know I do. But like the Fates said, actions have consequences. So, I stayed silent as we walked towards the palace ahead.

The outer walls of the fortress glinted black, and the two-story-tall bronze gates stood wide open. Inside the courtyard was a garden from a fantasy-horror movie. Multi-coloured mushrooms, luminous plants that grew without sunlight, and creepy garden statues from Medusa stood here and there. The centre of the garden was an orchard of pomegranate trees, their orange bloomed neon bright in the dark.

“The garden of Persephone.” Annabeth informed us, yanking Grover away from the trees, “Keep walking.”

Up the stairs and down the halls, we stood in front of a big set of doors with two U.S. marine skeletons guarding. Percy suggested, “I suppose we should…knock?”

A gust of hot wind blew down the corridor and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside.

“I guess that means _‘entrez’_.”

There lounging on his throne of fused human bones was a man at least three metres tall. Dressed in black silk and a crown of braided gold. His skin was albino white, his shoulder-length hair was jet black. He wasn’t bulky like Ares, but he radiated power.

Hades. The Lord of the Underworld and the Dead.

“You are brave to come here, son of Poseidon.” His oily, deep voice echoed the dark room, “After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps, you are simply very foolish.”

I tuned out most of the “negotiation” between the god and my friend. I noticed the neatly polished floor was made of nether bricks with Greek engravings on them. Each of them was describing different deaths of different people. Judging the part where some were blown apart in a nuclear bomb in World War Two on the brick I was reading from, they’re probably about the guards and ghouls Hades had in his disposal. It was all pretty interesting to be honest.

“Levant.” A deep voice spoke my name and I quickly glanced up, only to see a pair of obsidian eyes staring straight at me.

“I’m glad you came, my champion.” Hades smirked, “Never would I think you’d come and find me first.”

Annabeth and Grover’s jaws dropped on the ground and I could see Percy’s eyes constantly darting between the two of us.

My eyes widened, completely dumb-folded, “I’m sorry, what?”

“I own you!” He spitted out, his eyes narrowed dangerously, “I own your very soul since you were just a child!”

What the actual fuck?!

“ _No one_ owns me.” I growled back in anger.

He glared at me before laughing. He _freaking_ laughed! I cautiously took a step back as he said in amusement, “Of course. You still don’t know anything. Your coward of a father made us all swear not to tell you.”

My dad again? I was still lost in thought when Hades suddenly called out, “Perseus.”

“Yes, uncle?” Percy replied as politely as he could.

The god smirked, “I’d like to add some more chips on the table. You can take your mother if you leave Levant here with me.”

His sea-green eyes went wide, “But, the bolt-”

“Obviously you’ll have to leave it here until you return my Helm of Darkness, _boy_.” Scowling darkly at the mention of his stolen weapon, “But if you give me Levant, I’ll instantly return your mother right now. I can easily send her back to the world of the living even if you only have three pearls.”

I sent a warning look at him, “Percy…”

“Don’t!” He snapped, “I won’t leave you here to rot.”

“Be realistic!” I glared firmly, “You only have three pearls! I will _not_ let anyone of you stay here. Besides you have to bring the bolt back to Zeus.”

“But-”

“Ares.” I blurted out. Screw the consequences, “He’s the one who tricked us. We got that bag directly from him.” I looked back at the god, “I bet he has your Helm too.”

“Why?” Annabeth questioned, “Why would Ares do all of this?”

“He’s the god of _war_ , Annabeth. Think the amount of damage if the Big Three started a war among themselves.”

I stared at Hades in the eyes, “Percy’s not the thief. He didn’t know anything about the mythological world or the existence of the gods when your symbol was taken. I was with him all his life and I can personally vouch for that. When Poseidon claimed him, it was after the Helm got stolen. So, how could a seaweed brain like Percy steal a god’s symbol of power? Especially when he can’t even steal money from his stepdad, who by the way is a huge idiot with a capital ‘I’.”

His head was on his palm as he listened to my explanation. His eyes however radiated a cold fury none of us could ignore.

“You are smarter than you seem, my champion.” He finally said calmly. It might’ve been my imagination but I thought I heard a hint of pride in his voice.

“I wanna make a deal.”

Percy grabbed my arm but I just shook it off and stepped forward, “Let me go now and I’ll return your Helm of Darkness. If I get it back, you’ll let me go and give Percy the Master Bolt and his mom back. If I fail, you can choose whether or not to return the bolt, but you’ll still have to let Sally Jackson go.”

“And I’ll stay here and do whatever you want me to do.” I continued before he could interrupt, letting out a smirk, “I know a lot of things that can help you and your… _position_ without the bolt. This deal will only be valid in the name of the River Styx. So, you’d better swear on it and I’ll do the same. That way we won’t be able to double-cross each other.”

Hades pondered for a moment before he grudgingly muttered the words and I did the same. Sounds of thunder rumbled outside, sealing the deal. I could feel my companions’ eyes on me, probably thinking I had finally lost my mind when I hit my head against that rock. The god stood up and shrunk into human size, still much taller than us. He placed his hand on my shoulder and smirked.

“I like your bargain, my child.” He commented in satisfaction and faced his nephew, “I like his much better.”

“Why the hell did you do that?!” Percy yelled at my face.

I gave him a small smile, “You’re the hero, Perce. The world needs you, not me.”

He opened his mouth to protest but was cut off by Hades, “Enough! You better be ready with your friends, Perseus. I’ll teleport my champion to the surface.”

Percy gave a pearl to Annabeth and Grover each. He glanced at me before nodding at the two and smashed the pearls with their feet. With a burst of green light and fresh sea wind, they floated through the ceiling in milky white spheres.

When they were gone, Hades chanted in Ancient Greek and shadows started to wrap around me. He removed his hand from my shoulder and grew back to his height.

“Uphold your end of the bargain, my child.” He sat back on his throne with a smile, “I’ll be waiting.”

And I saw nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Hope you guys are doing alright. Next chapter will be up next week. As always thank you so much for sticking around and all the kudos I've received. Really appreciate. Comments are always welcome here btw ;) And I'll see you all next time! Bye~


	21. A Fight for my Freedom

I gasped when I felt something wet touched my hand. My head darted around only to find myself on a shore. I quickly sat up but a sharp nausea gave me an urge to throw up. I let out a groan and rubbed my forehead.

Note to self: Never ask a god to teleport me again. Scratch that, _never_ teleport again.

“Levant?”

I opened my eyes and saw Percy completely wet from head to… bare feet? I raised my eyebrows in question while he speedily explained that he willed himself wet and gave his shoes to Grover, who lost his in the Underworld. He helped me up, only to punch me in the face.

“What the fuck, dude?!” I hissed as I held my throbbing cheek.

His fist clenched in anger, “That’s _my_ line, you asshole! Why the hell did you do that to me?! I never wanted this!”

I scowled, “And what would you do, huh? Only three of us could’ve escaped that place, and no way in hell would I ever let any of you stay there. The prophecy said so itself, ‘You shall find what was stolen and see it safely returned’.”

He pushed me back, “What’s the point of that then?! What’s the point in any of this?!”

“You’ll be a hero and prevent a war that can destroy all life on this planet. I refuse to let you endanger _billions_ of innocent lives just for plain old me!”

“I don’t want to lose you, dumbass!” Percy yelled at me, “To me, you’re way more important than anything in the world. I just don’t want to lose you.”

My expression softened at his confession, “Percy, I’ll be fine. All we have to do is take the helm back.”

“Aw… why do you stop fighting?” I heard a man whined behind me. I sighed and turned around.

Leaning against his motorcycle in his black leather duster and sunglasses was Ares himself. He had an aluminium baseball bat propped on his shoulders with a smug grin on his face. And on the seat was a black motorcycle helmet.

“Hades’ Helm of Darkness.” Annabeth muttered behind us.

“You tricked us.” Percy spitted out, “ _You_ stole the helmet and the bolt.”

The war god grinned, “Well now, I didn’t steal them personally. Gods taking each other’s symbols of power? That’s a big no-no. You’re not the only hero in the world who can run errands.”

“Who did you use? Clarisse? She was there at the winter solstice.”

The idea only seemed to amuse him, “Doesn’t matter. The point is, kid, you’re impeding the war effort. See, you die in the Underworld. Then Old Seaweed will be mad at Hades for killing you. Corpse Breath will have Zeus’s master bolt, so Pops will be mad at him. And Hades is still looking for this,” He nodded at the helmet, “So he’ll be mad at both Zeus and Poseidon since he doesn’t know who took it. Pretty soon, we’ll get a nice little three-way slugfest going.”

“But they’re your family!” Annabeth protested.

He simply shrugged, “Best kind of war. Always the bloodiest.”

I got tired of the useless chatter and I knew we were wasting time. So I threw my green backpack at Grover and clicked a pen. A sword appeared in my grip while Ares laughed and his bat morphed into a sword as tall as me. At my side, Percy already had his pen unclasped and readied his bronze sword, Anaklusmos.

They charged at the same time. Their swords clashed with an ear-ringing loud **_CLANG_** and I lunged at the god, swinging my sword at his knee.

“Two versus one, eh?” Ares commented offhandedly as he jumped back, “Not a fair fight I have to say, especially for you, brat. Weren’t you the one who said that?”

“I know.” I twirled my sword, “But this time we’re against the god of war himself. So I guess it’s fair to fight you like this.” I eyed him cautiously, “Besides, don’t you like a challenge?”

He let out a laugh, “I like your attitude, little Godling. But it doesn’t get you anywhere.”

The god charged at me, aiming for my head. Instantly I raised my blade only to flinch when they collided. His strength was like a freaking train! Percy came from the left, and Ares kicked me in the ribs, slashing his sword at him. I flew back and crashed landed on the sand. I coughed slightly as I rested my head for a second. A loud noise brought me back to my senses.

Sirens. Cops. Lots of them, gathered near the beach. Ares growled in annoyance and swiped his hand. A fire ball suddenly blasted at them, exploding a police car. I mentally thanked the gods that the cops ran away to take cover. There’s no need for innocents to die here.

I scrambled back on my feet just in time to watch Percy landed on the sand, hard. I let out a sigh and sprinted towards the war god. Grunting when he pressed the sword to my face, I quickly kicked him where it hurts the most and shoved him back. I clicked my other pen and another sword was in my once empty hand.

“Oh yeah… Almost forgot you’re a dual wielder.”

Ares lunged at me and I deflected his massive sword with both of my own to the sand. Percy quickly tried to stab him but he dodged. The god took a step back and ran towards the raven-haired boy only in split second slashed at me instead. I was able to block the blunt of his attack but the tip still stabbed into my right shoulder.

I cried out in pain and dropped the bronze sword. My left hand clutched my shoulder, only for the god to spin around and kick me in the head. Yeah, my injured head. He sent me flying towards the sea and I smashed against the wet sand. My head was pounding and I was sure he just gave me another concussion.

I faintly heard Percy screaming in anger as he attacked ferociously. Slowly but surely, I pushed myself to stand, and made my way to my friend, ignoring the pain from my head and shoulder.

Percy glanced at me in worry, “Rest. I got this.”

“I can still fight.” I bit back the nausea, “Let me help.”

“Enough with the pep talk!” Ares called over, “I’m bored out my mind here!”

After I picked up my fallen sword, I began to circle him and he followed with a menacing grin. With his back facing the sea, I rushed at him and hacked a sword at his stomach. Ares narrowly dodged and started to growl as I continued my onslaught relentlessly. He swung his heavy sword down which I blocked with my swords. My arms trembled at the force behind the blade.

“Not so tough now are you, you little shit?” He mocked with a smirk.

I simply scowled and my eyes glanced at Percy who thank the gods used his brain for once. I leaped back, catching him in surprise and spartan-kicked him in the chest. He let out a grunt as he landed ass first on the shore and growled at me.

I gave him a cheeky smirk, “You might wanna duck.”

Ares spun around only to be doused with gallons of sea water. He spluttered and cursed like there was no tomorrow, completely oblivious to us running towards him at full speed from behind. Percy stabbed him in the heel while I cut deep in his upper arm.

The god roared and dropped his sword on the sand along with his sunglasses. His golden blood, ichor, dripped from his wounds and tainted the water beneath him. His red eyes blazed in rage but stopped when a loud thunder clapped in the distance. His face paled and he clicked his tongue.

“You have made an enemy, godlings.” He growled furiously, “Every time you raise your blade in battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Perseus Jackson, Levant Ral. Beware.”

His body started to glow.

“Percy! Levant!” Annabeth yelled, “Don’t look!”

We quickly turned away as Ares revealed his true immortal form. I do not want to be disintegrated into ashes.

The light died out.

We looked back. He was gone. His motorcycle was missing. The tide rolled out and revealed Hades’ Helm of Darkness. I picked it up and walked towards the shore.

“Mrs. Dodds!” I shouted, “I know you’re there!”

The Fury drifted from the sky and landed right in front of me, almost giving Percy a heart attack. She gave me a creepy smile, showing off her sharp fangs, “Congratulations, young master. We watched the entire battle.”

I tossed her the helm, “I’ve finished my end of the bargain. Make sure Lord Hades fulfils his.”

“Of course.” She and her sisters fluttered their leather bat wings into the smoke-filled sky.

I sighed as I faced the rest of our companions.

“How could you?” Annabeth walked towards me, “How could you lie to me?!” She slapped me across the face, making my head ring even more. Man, she slaps hard.

“Annabeth!” Percy quickly wrapped his arm around the angered demigoddess and pulled her away from me, “He has his reasons.”

“For gods’ sake Levant, I’m your friend!” She screamed at me and I cowered slightly, “Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“They made me swear on the Styx not to tell anyone. Wasn’t my choice.” I mumbled while rubbing my still sore cheek.

“They? Did Chiron know?”

“Yeah, he and Mr. D.” I shrugged my uninjured shoulder, “But since Hades told y’all himself I didn’t break any oaths.”

The blonde girl finally calmed down, “So that’s why Kronos wanted you.”

I glanced away, “Maybe. I don’t even know anymore.”

“I-I’m sure you are a son of Apollo.” Grover said confidently, “I mean Hades already confirmed it. He did say Apollo’s your real dad and he just claimed you as his champion for some reason.”

I gave him a small smile, “Thanks, Grover.”

Only then Annabeth realized Percy was still hugging her from behind. She let out a cute squeak and her face went crimson. The son of Poseidon quickly let her go, his face was also red from embarrassment.

“You two are adorable together.” I cooed, pumping my fist in the air, “Yes! My Percabeth ship has finally set sail!”

“Shut up, Lei-Lei!” They shouted simultaneously and hit me over the head with a deadly glare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy everyone! So that's another chapter done. Hope you all enjoy it and seriously thank you for all the kudos and comments. Over 1596 hits and 104, it's insane! Anyways, as always next chapter will be up next week and I'll see you next time. Stay safe everyone!


	22. This is Real... This is Actually Real

_“…The explosion at Santa Monica beach was caused by a mentally-unstable kidnapper who fired a shotgun at a police car. He accidentally hit a main gas pipe that had ruptured during the earthquake._

_This psycopathic kidnapper_ (aka Ares) _was the same man who had abducted Percy Jackson and three other adolescents in New York and brought them cross-country on a ten-day odyssey of terror._

_Poor little Percy Jackson wasn’t a national criminal after all. He had caused a commotion on that Greyhound bus in New Jersey trying to get away from his captor. The kidnapper had caused the explosion in the St. Louis Arch, after all no kid could’ve done that. A concerned waitress in Denver had witnessed the man threatening the children in of her diner and had gotten a friend to take a photo and notified the police._

_Brave little Jackson and one of his friends had stolen a gun from their captor in Los Angeles and battled him shotgun-and-pistols-to-rifle on the beach. Police had arrived just in time. But in the spectacular explosion, five police cars had been destroyed and the kidnapper had fled. No fatalities had occurred. Percy Jackson and his three friends are now safe in police custody. This is L.A. news and we’ll be back with more updates.”_

The reporters fed us this entire story and all we had to do was nod and act tired, playing the role of victimized kids on camera.

“All I want,” Percy said, blinking back his tears, “is to see my loving stepfather again. Every time I saw him on TV, I knew… somehow… we’d be okay. And I know he’ll want to reward each and every person in this beautiful city of Los Angeles with a free major appliance from his store. Here’s his phone number.”

I was choking back my laughter at how ridiculous this all was while plastering a bored/exhausted expression on my face. The most hilarious part was that the police and reporters raised enough money for four tickets on the next flight to New York. So, I guess the story had its uses.

Take-off was horrible. Every sign of turbulence was more frightening than any Greek monster. I could tell Percy was on the page as me with his white fists on the armrests. We only relaxed when we touched down safely at La Guardia, New York. We were at the airport when I realized something was missing and saw a lady wearing a scarf.

“Oh shit.” I breathed out, earning a slap from Annabeth.

“What?!” Grover started to panic, “Did we miss anything?!”

I faced him in horror, “I forgot the scarf.”

Percy stared at me plainly, “Idiot.”

“Hey! A lot of stuff happened and it slipped my mind, okay?!”

My mind raced across the excuse section of my brain when I accidentally bumped into someone at the arrival gate.

“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t…” My eyes widened at the sight of a familiar woman.

Aphrodite, in all her beauty, stood in front of me with her pink scarf around her neck. Wait, what?

My jaw slackened, “How…?”

She giggled and ruffled my hair, “I found it on my doorstep, silly. Thank you for returning it to me, and here’s your reward.”

She bent down and gave me a peck on the cheek. Instantly, my face flushed red and my eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.

“I wanted to steal your first kiss, but…” The goddess trailed off, “I’ll just wait until you're older. Can’t wait to see what you’ll look like, cutie.”

She left it at that and I just stood there, dumbstruck. A slap on the back of my overly-abused head brought me back to Earth and I glanced behind me, only to see a daughter of Athena glaring daggers at me.

Her lips were pursed into a scowl, “Don’t let her charm you again.”

“It’s not like I wanted her to do that.” I replied distantly, my fingers brushed the spot where Aphrodite just kissed me. “Woah…”

Annabeth hit me harder in the head, “Wake up, dumbass! Why do all males have to be idiots?”

“Hey!”

“Anyway,” Percy interrupted before the girl could rip my head off, “I think its best if you two get back to camp. Levant and I can take a cab to the Empire State Building and give the bolt back.”

With a lot of convincing on both Percy and my part, we hopped in a taxi and headed into Manhattan.

Thirty minutes later, we walked into the lobby of the Empire State Building. Percy went to the guard at the front desk, “Six hundredth floor please.”

He was reading a huge book which I recognized as Harry Potter. No wonder why he took a while to look up, “No such floor, kiddo.”

I simply grabbed Percy’s backpack and opened it in front of the guard. His eyes went wide at the sight of the object inside and quickly handed me a key card, “Insert this in the security slot. Make sure nobody else is in the elevator with you.”

Mumbling thanks, I pressed the red button that said 600 when Percy was in the elevator with me. Finally, **_ding_**. The doors slid open. We stepped out and my jaw dropped.

We stood on a narrow stone walkway in the air and Manhattan was below in ant size. In front of us were white marble steps up the clouds, into the sky. My eyes followed the stairway to its end in disbelief.

From the top of the clouds was the decapitated peak of a mountain. The summit was covered with pure white snow. Clinging to the mountainside were dozens of multi-leveled palaces – a city of huge mansions. All with white-columned porticos, gilded terraces and bronze braziers glowing with a thousand fires. Roads all led to the peak, the largest palace gleamed brightly against the snow. Beautiful gardens bloomed with olive trees and rosebushes. I could see a market plaza filled with colourful tents, a stone amphitheatre on one side of the mountain and a coliseum on the other.

It was an Ancient Greek city, except it’s not in ruins. The way Athens probably was in its prime.

“Holy shit.” I let out a whisper and pulled a dazed Percy along to face my greatest enemy – _stairs_.

Along the way, we passed some giggling wood nymphs who threw olives at us from their gardens. People in the market showed-off new shields, ambrosia on sticks and a real glitter-weaved replica of the Golden Fleece. I had to yank my companion away from a golden seashell a stall was selling. The nine muses were tuning their instruments for a concert in the park with a crowd gathered – satyrs, naiads and a bunch of minor gods and goddesses. Nobody seemed to be worried about the oncoming war. In fact, everyone seemed to be in a festive mood.

We climbed up the stairs to the peak – a central courtyard and past that, the throne room. ‘Room’ was a loose term to describe the space. It had massive columns holding up a dome-shaped ceiling, decorated with moving constellations. Twelve thrones, built for the size of Hades, were arranged in an inverted U, just like the cabins in Camp Half-Blood. An enormous fire crackled in the centre hearth pit. The thrones were empty except for two at the end. My trembling legs stepped forward with Percy beside me.

Zeus, the King of the Gods, wore a dark blue suit and sat on a throne of solid platinum. His well-trimmed beard marbled grey and black like a storm cloud and his eyes were rainy grey. Sitting next to him was Poseidon, wearing leather sandals, khaki shorts, and a Bahama shirt with coconuts and parrots all over it. His skin deeply tanned. His hair was raven black. His eyes were sea-green, surrounded by sun-crinkles.

He looked like an exact replica of an older Percy, holding a bronze trident in a fishing pole holster next to his fisherman throne.

I kept my eyes trained on the floor as Poseidon spoke up calmly, “Hello Perseus.”

“Just give me the bolt.” Zeus grumbled impatiently.

Percy gulped and carefully placed the Master Bolt on the floor. Immediately, it flew across the room into the god’s waiting hand. Thunder rumbled outside when the symbol of power was returned to its owner. He started to tell his story, including my sudden appearance and Ares. Just as I hoped, he left out the part where Kronos called my name, and I fidgeted underneath the gods stare. They began to argue in very fast Ancient Greek and I simply tuned them out.

“And what about that brat over there?”

I flinched and looked up. A pair of now electric blue eyes were glaring at me while Poseidon looked indifferent.

“Uh…” I lost the function of speech.

“He’s clearly a son of Apollo, Brother.” Poseidon spoke up, “Perseus already explained that.”

“I don’t see Apollo in him.” The King grunted, eyeing me from head to toe, “More like a mix between him and Hades. He is dangerous.” My stomach dropped at his words, “We should get rid of him before he turns on us.”

My temper snapped and anger bubbled through my veins, “Are you serious?! That’s so not fair!”

“You dare talk about fairness to me, boy?!”

“I already swore on the Styx to be loyal to the gods! Mr. D and Chiron both witnessed it! And I wanna live! So why the hell would I break an oath which specifically said it would lead to a fate worse than death?!”

“He has a point, brother.” The sea god cut in as his face turned purple.

Zeus huffed with a growl, “Just remember boy, if you dare to betray us, I won’t hesitate to smite you on the spot. Are we clear?”

“Yes, sir.” I mumbled and he disappeared in a bolt of lightning with thunder clapping outside.

Poseidon turned back to human size and walked towards Percy. Knowing it was personal, I took a few steps away so they could have some privacy and tuned them out.

“…I’d like to talk to your friend, alone.”

Percy glanced at me before he left the throne room. I just stood there like an idiot as the god made his way to me with his trident in his grip. He’s not going to stab me with that thing, is he?

“I appreciate what you've done for my son.” He started, “You have saved his life many times.”

I did my best to look him in the eyes, “He’s my best friend, sir. His safety is my priority.”

“However,” I gulped as his intense sea-green eyes narrowed, “That doesn’t mean I trust you. I’m only on your side because my son trusts you completely. Break that trust and I will kill you where you stand.”

I paled ghostly white and squeaked out, “Of course.”

“I’m neutral. I want to watch you grow and then decide whether to kill you or not. And by the way, I like your attitude.” With a wink, he dissolved into seawater and didn’t forget to splash me as well.

I blinked. The front of my shirt and my face were wet. I felt something dangling on my head only to find it was seaweed. Grumbling at my second ruined shirt in this stupid quest, I walked outside where Percy was waiting for me.

He raised an eyebrow at the seaweed on my head, “Is that-”

“A gift from your dad.” I cut him off with an annoyed scowl, “Let’s just go back. I miss my bed and I really need a shower.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's another chapter. Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments I've been receiving since I started. Truly means a lot and keeps me going with the story. As always, next chapter will be up next week and I'll see you awesome people next time. Stay safe everyone!


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